adj
tearful
TEER-fuul
adj
1
Crying, or on the verge of crying.
"She gave a tearful goodbye at the airport."
2
Sad or emotional.
"It was a tearful farewell speech for the retiring headteacher."
How to Use Tearful
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishCrying, close to tears, or deeply emotional.
Common pairings
a tearful reunion
a tearful farewell
Word Forms
more tearful comparative, most tearful superlative
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She gave a _____ goodbye at the airport.
Etymology
From tear (the eye-fluid word) plus the suffix "-ful."