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Glite Dictionary
tearless

tearless

1 4.6
Not crying or showing any tears
  • adjective
  • /ˈtɪr.ləs/
translation icon : sin lágrimas
  • She was staring at the audience, her expression tearless despite the emotional speech.
  • tearless face
  • tearless cries

We should make a tearless tear maker for love with all the food spots.

Examples

  • Meguet, tearless and stunned, turned to her as if at a touch, seeing what she saw: Time, nearly ended on the Luxor, was shaping its path again toward home.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • She was staring at them, tearless now, seemingly unaware of the music, the prayers, and the eulogy.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • "On the way down, she was tearless."

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Her mother continues, tearless, droney.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Do you see how she stares straight ahead, her eyes tearless, she who bore his children?

    Fiction book (1999)

  • She recites with each new passing; tearless sorrow is her specialty.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • In that pale, tearless face, closed down on its own sorrow, Birnbaum saw all his disappointment, all that he had every right to expect from life and would never, he saw it again now, would never receive from it.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Tearless, Miguel Chico wondered how such a sappy story could make him feel so thirsty.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Then the magic flowed elsewhere, left their shadows intact, shifting, as Draken's hands fell from Brand's face, and Brand, white, tearless, took a step back from him.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • The Negro woman stood tall and tearless while she clutched the hag holding Mary's belongings to her stomach, wondering about Joleb.

    Fiction book (1999)

Synonyms

expressionless
vstearless
11 4.4

Having a face or way of acting that shows no feeling

concerns absence of tears rather than an unreadable face
impassive
vstearless
11 7.1

Not showing any feeling on the face or in the voice

is about not producing tears rather than not showing feeling
emotionless
vstearless
11 5.5

Not showing feelings on the face or in the voice

describes lack of physical tears rather than inner numbness
unemotional
vstearless
11 4.4

Not showing strong feelings

refers to having no tears rather than being emotionally steady
dry-eyed
vstearless
2 5.8

Not crying or showing any tears

is specifically about absence of tears rather than emotion
affectless
vstearless
1 9.3

A person who shows no emotion in the face or voice

focuses on lacking visible tears rather than lacking feeling

Antonyms

tearful
26 1.8

Showing you are about to cry because of a strong feeling

How Tearful

tearful
26 1.8
tearless
1 4.6

Surface Forms

tearless positive
tearlesser comparative
tearlessest superlative

Morphology

tearless = tear (transparent) = tear + less

The adjective is formed by adding '-less' to 'tear', giving the straightforward meaning 'without tears', which learners can readily infer.

Etymology

Tearless comes from two simple parts: tear, meaning a drop from the eye, and -less, meaning 'without', the same -less you see in fearless and careless. So, tearless literally means 'without tears' and is used for someone who does not cry.