What does tearfulness mean?
Tearfulness is a noun meaning the condition of being tearful: showing or experiencing tears, usually because of sadness, grief, tenderness, or another strong feeling. It may describe a particular display of emotion, as in a moment of tearfulness during a ceremony, or a more general tendency to cry readily. The word is more specific than sadness itself, since sadness is an emotional state whereas tearfulness concerns its visible expression. Although closely associated with sorrow, tearfulness can also result from relief, affection, joy, or even laughter. In literary and descriptive writing, it helps convey how emotion affects a person's face, voice, or behavior. The term is common in British and American English, though descriptions of people may sound somewhat clinical; ordinary alternatives include tears, teary-eyed, and weepy. Overall, tearfulness is a useful word when the emotional feeling and its outward manifestation are both relevant.
nounThe state or condition of being tearful, especially as an outward expression of sadness or strong emotion. It can also refer to a tendency to cry readily.
- The condition of being tearful or showing tears, especially because of sadness or strong feeling.
- A habitual tendency to cry readily or display tearful emotion.
"She tried to control her tearfulness during the emotional farewell."
"The speech brought on an unexpected wave of tearfulness."
"Her chronic tearfulness made intimate conversations difficult."
Tearfulness is normally treated as an uncountable noun. The plural is uncommon and is chiefly used for separate instances of tearful behavior.
"The film's final scene contains several tearfulnesses that cannot be contained."
From tear to tearful to tearfulness, the word traces emotion becoming visible on the face.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tearfulness come from?
Tearfulness was formed in English by adding the suffix -ness to tearful. Its base noun tear is recorded in Old English as tēar and belongs to the Germanic family, with close relatives including Dutch traan and German Träne. The adjective tearful was produced from tear with the suffix -ful, and tearfulness subsequently turned that adjective into an abstract noun.
How tearfulness is actually used
Tearfulness is neutral but can sound clinical when describing a person's temperament or symptoms. In ordinary narrative prose, words such as tears and teary-eyed are often more natural.