What does tearful mean?
Tearful means crying, on the verge of crying, or full of tears. People may become tearful when moved by sadness, joy, sympathy, relief, or another strong emotion, and the adjective can describe their eyes, voice, expression, or manner. It may also refer to a scene, story, or event that causes others to cry. The word is standard in British and American English and generally carries a neutral, descriptive tone, although it often suggests a visible or intense emotional response. In everyday conversation, teary is a frequent alternative. The related phrase “tearful eyes” is especially common, while the opposite tearful is tearless. Overall, tearful is useful because it captures not only the presence of tears but also the emotional sensitivity or expressiveness that often accompanies them.
adjectiveFull of tears or shedding tears, especially because of sadness or strong emotion. It can also describe something that moves people to tears.
- Crying or full of tears, especially as a temporary emotional response.
- Expressive of strong emotion or moving people to tears.
"By the end of the film, even the children were tearful."
"She became tearful when she heard the news."
"The tearful farewell brought the whole audience to its feet."
A tearful scene can mean that its characters are crying—or that its audience is close to doing the same.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tearful come from?
The adjective tearful was formed in early modern English by joining the noun tear to the suffix -ful; an early spelling was tearfull. The noun tear descends from Old English tēar and has close cognates in other Germanic languages, including Old Frisian tēar and Old High German zēar. In modern English, the word expanded naturally from describing someone with tears in their eyes to describing a voice, scene, or account that moves people to tears.
Related word forms
How tearful is actually used
Tearful is neutral and widely used in both formal and informal contexts. It most often describes a person, eyes, or voice, but it can also characterize a scene, story, or performance that evokes tears.
Easily confused with tearful
Tearful is the standard adjective for someone who is crying or has tears in their eyes, while teary is an equally common alternative and may sound slightly more informal.