tearier; teariest
1
a
: wet or stained with tears : tearful
teary eyes
b
: consisting of tears or drops resembling tears
2
: causing tears : pathetic
a teary story

Example Sentences

There were many teary eyes among those in the audience. He made a teary farewell to the fans.
Recent Examples on the Web Shelby Zamora, who uses they and them pronouns, stood teary-eyed in front of a memorial for the victims Sunday evening. Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 22 Nov. 2022 After being crushed by 10 wickets, a teary-eyed India’s hopes of ending a nine-year title drought across formats ended in familiar disappointment. Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 11 Nov. 2022 When the man took his final breath, he was surrounded by teary family but also serenaded by men with substance use problems and unstable housing for whom the emergency department might be the closest semblance of home. Jay Baruch, STAT, 10 Nov. 2022 Outlined at the outset of the film, this teary new backstory also permits del Toro an early introduction for two of the film’s other fixations: morbid Christian symbolism and the horrors of war. Guy Lodge, Variety, 15 Oct. 2022 After Williams runs her hand over her face following one teary breakup scene, her hand trails away with a slight, expressive waving of those fingers. Susan Dominus Susan Dominus Photographs By Luis Alberto Rodriguez Styled By Charlotte Collet Nick Haramis Photographs By Lise Sarfati Styled By Suzanne Koller Sasha Weiss Photographs By Justin French Adam Bradley Photographs By D’angelo Lovell Williams Styled By Ian Bradley, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2022 Nevin became emotional and teary before the final game against the Athletics, pausing in the dugout before expressing his appreciation for the opportunity. Janie Mccauley, ajc, 5 Oct. 2022 The new king stood by quietly during the moments of farewell and appeared somber and a bit teary-eyed before his mother’s coffin was lowered into the vault. Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY, 20 Sep. 2022 Late in the film, Pearl delivers a teary confessional monologue that West serves up in one long close-up on Goth. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'teary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of teary was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near teary

Cite this Entry

“Teary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/teary. Accessed 7 Dec. 2022.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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