What does weepy mean?
Weepy is an adjective describing a person who is tearful or easily moved to tears, and a story, performance, or advertisement that provokes such a response. In its second common sense, it describes work that is excessively sentimental or melodramatic, often suggesting that its emotional effects are calculated or overdone. The word is especially familiar in British English, though it is also understood in American English. Weepy can be affectionate when it refers to someone showing sincere emotion, but it commonly carries a mildly critical or teasing implication when applied to creative work or public appeals. Its usefulness lies in distinguishing ordinary emotional expressiveness from tearfulness that seems exaggerated, tender, or deliberately designed to move an audience.
adjectiveWeepy means tearful or easily moved to tears. It can also describe something excessively sentimental or melodramatic.
- Tearful or liable to cry easily.
- Excessively sentimental, emotional, or melodramatic.
"The film was beautiful but so weepy that even the most restrained viewers began to cry."
"By the end of the story, even the children were getting weepy."
"The advertisement had a distinctly weepy tone, appealing to viewers' sense of nostalgia."
Weepy is a compact way to describe a person, voice, or story that turns sentiment into tears—and, often, a gentle touch of criticism.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does weepy come from?
Weepy was formed in English from the verb weep and the suffix -y, a combination that has produced several adjectives meaning tearful, emotional, or inclined to tears. The verb weep comes from Old English wēpan, meaning to shed tears or mourn, and belongs to a Germanic word family with related forms in languages such as German and Dutch. The compound meaning of weepy developed naturally from weeping to describe people, voices, and works associated with tears.
Related word forms
How weepy is actually used
The word is especially common in British English and is often informal. It can be affectionate when describing a person, but it is frequently disparaging when used of films, books, advertisements, or other works that are considered overly sentimental.
Easily confused with weepy
Weepy refers to tearfulness or emotional sensitivity, whereas wheezy describes someone or something characterized by a noisy, difficult breathing sound.