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tearful — crying or likely to cry; full of tears

Part of speech: ADJECTIVE

Definition: crying or likely to cry; full of tears

Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈtɪrfəl/

Example Sentences

  • My mom gets tearful every time she watches that romantic movie.
  • He made a tearful speech about his pet goldfish that died.
  • The tearful bride couldn't stop crying during the wedding ceremony.

tearful

ADJECTIVE

[/ˈtɪrfəl/]

crying or likely to cry; full of tears

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🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/ˈtɪrfəl/
🇬🇧 UK/ˈtɪəfʊl/

🌳Etymology

Roottear
Suffix--ful

Origin

Tearful emerged in Middle English during the 14th century by combining 'tear' (from Old English tæhr, meaning a drop of liquid from the eye) with the productive suffix '-ful' (meaning full of or abounding in). The compound literally denotes a state characterized by tears or weeping.

Breakdown

tear (Old English tæhr, a drop from the eye) + -ful (suffix meaning full of, abounding in), creating a adjective meaning full of tears or inclined to weep.

🎵Rhyme

cheerful
fearful

🔗Collocations

tearful goodbye
tearful reunion
tearful eyes
tearful voice
tearful apology
tearful confession

📝Examples

“My mom gets tearful every time she watches that romantic movie.”

😄 Fun example

“He made a tearful speech about his pet goldfish that died.”

“The tearful bride couldn't stop crying during the wedding ceremony.”

😄 Fun example

“Even the tough guy became tearful watching the puppy video.”

📚Related Words

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