TEARFUL Synonyms: 114 Similar and Opposite Words

tearful

adjective

ˈtir-fəl

Definition of tearful

as in emotional

given to expressing strong emotion (as sorrow) by readily shedding tears a tearful woman who can be counted on to cry at every wedding, anniversary, and funeral

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in sad

causing unhappiness the tearful end to what had once been a close friendship

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of tearful Sparks promises surprises from the tour, but don’t expect a tearful tribute for Finch like the one that took place at one of their warm-up shows in San Diego. — Courtney Devores, Charlotte Observer, 16 Oct. 2026 Sixteen sets of eyes stared up at her from the rug as children strained to get a look at the tearful raccoon. — Kate Sequeira, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026 The Eastland family and other camp leaders have testified in courtrooms and in front of the state Legislature in the months since the flood, however, with camp director Edward Eastland offering a tearful apology. — ABC News, 22 Sep. 2026 Newspaper stories declared the case solved, and Oprah Winfrey staged a tearful family reunion of Jefferson’s descendants. — Andrew Lawler, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tearful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tearful

Adjective

The history between these men is more noxious than your garden-variety case of paternal neglect — there’s been emotional and physical abuse.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
That’s not because Crystal soft-pedals the emotional horror of returning to your home to find charred remains after watching, helpless, as flames took the locus of all your best memories.

— Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of emotional

Adjective

State Drive, an ugly black roadway, separates the Science Center and its new addition from the park’s Rose Garden, and serves as a sad connector to the rest of the park.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
As more details came out, the sad truth of Perry’s relapses and drug hustle emerged.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of sad

Adjective

And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.

— David Mamet, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.

— Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021

Definition of weeping

Adjective

Maybe the most vivid reminder was what happened after a similarly depressing defeat in 2021 in the last game in which Mahomes played and the Chiefs managed only a field goal.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026
In another depressing week for the UK’s public broadcaster, there were more cuts, talk of even more cuts and programs scrapped, as the BBC’s desperate bid to make the books work continues under former Google EMEA chief Matt Brittin.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of depressing

Adjective

The One About Matthew Perry, a three-part docuseries, out October 27 on Netflix, is more of a celebration of celebrate Perry’s life instead of a mournful tribute or true crime drama about his death and the headline-making trial that followed.

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2026
East Suffolk, a windblown span of marshy coastland, has a reputation for stark, mournful beauty, and for drawing creative people with a taste for isolation and escape.

— Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of mournful

Browse Nearby Words

teardrops

tearful

tearing

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“Tearful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tearful. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of tearful

adjective

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