Dictionary Entry

tearful

Part of Speech: adjectivePronunciation: /tear-fuhl/Used In Literature ↓

Feeling or showing sadness, often with tears.

In a Sentence

“She gave a tearful goodbye at the airport, hugging her friends tightly.”

Origin

From Middle English tearful, from tear + -ful meaning ‘full of tears’.

Common Phrases

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Synonyms

Antonyms

Poetry examples for “tearful”

Excerpts from the ReadingWillow English Library collection.

My tearful eyes my soul’s deep hurt are glassing;
For I would hail and check that ship of ships.

Newly with grass o'ergrown; some solemn graces,
Some human memories and tearful lore,
Render him terrorless: his name's "No More."

She's tearful -- if she weep at all --
For blissful Causes -- Most of all

Toiling on and on and on,
With breaking heart, and tearful eyes,
And silent lips, and in the soul

He gazed at the flowers with tearful eyes,
He kissed their drooping leaves;

Of troops chivalrous prancing; through a city,
And tearful ladies made for love, and pity:
With many else which I have never known.

Scapegrace comes home money-laden,
Hero comforts tearful maiden,
Soubrette marries loyal chappie,

Then the other lawyer started,
An' with brimmin', tearful eyes,
Said his client was a martyr

And heaves the gentle misery of a sigh
Gazing with tearful eye,
As round our sandy grot appear 40

[8] It bids thee hear the tearful plaint of woe MS. E.