- 1(of a person) crying, or about to cry She suddenly became very tearful. He answered in a tearful voice.
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- 2(of an event, etc.) at which people feel emotional and cry a tearful farewell She made a tearful phone call to her family.
NAmE//ˈtɪrfəli//
adverb “Why are you doing this?” she asked tearfully. noun [uncountable]See tearful in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Check pronunciation: tearful