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

Examples of teary in a Sentence

There were many teary eyes among those in the audience. He made a teary farewell to the fans.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As Noah’s foster mother Denise, the great Rosie Perez sustains a single note of teary, shouty panic. Alison Herman, Variety, 25 Oct. 2024 Emotions escalated; an impassioned and teary speech was given, pointing out my wrongheadedness. Yiyun Li, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024 But then Sanada won for Best Actor (inspiring spontaneous weeping from his fellow cast members and nominees, including a quite teary Takehiro Hira), and Anna Sawai won for Best Actress, and finally — rightly — the series won for Best Drama. Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2024 Through teary eyes, the Grammy winner explains how listening to challenging stories from fans over the years has given her perspective on challenges of her own. Breanna Mona, People.com, 22 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for teary 

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 22 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!