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Glite Dictionary
watery-eyed

watery-eyed

1 4.1
Having eyes full of tears and looking as if about to cry
  • adjective
  • /ˈwɔːtəri aɪd/
translation icon : con los ojos llorosos

And I don't know if I properly have hay fever, but I do get watery eyes.

Examples

  • Watery-eyed people in the streets smiled at each other for no reason at all.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Yes, it's just watery eyed, not rubber grey.

  • He pulled me up and put his arms around me while I got a little watery-eyed, but I clamped down on the cry.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • The store clerk, an older, watery-eyed man with a cleft palate, brought me several from the back.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • I swear, I cannot read you at work; people come to my office and have to ask me what's wrong when they see me all red-nosed and watery-eyed.

    Blog text (9)

  • As she watched the sad movie, she became watery-eyed and struggled to hold back her tears.

  • The child approached his mother, watery-eyed after falling and scraping his knee.

  • He gave a watery-eyed smile as he recalled the happy memories of his childhood.

Synonyms

tearful
vswatery-eyed
26 1.8

Showing you are about to cry because of a strong feeling

suggests being about to cry from strong emotion rather than mild moisture
teary
vswatery-eyed
21 2.0

Having eyes that look ready to cry

focuses on an appearance of being about to cry rather than definite tears
weepy
vswatery-eyed
20 3.7

Feeling like you want to cry easily

refers to eyes showing moisture rather than a general tendency to cry
teary-eyed
vswatery-eyed
9 3.2

With eyes full of tears because of strong feeling or something in the eye

is more about appearing ready to cry than actual tear fullness
misty-eyed
vswatery-eyed
5 4.8

Eyes are wet with tears because of strong feeling

is about obvious teariness rather than a soft, blurred look
tear-stained
vswatery-eyed
2 3.7

Wet and marked from crying, often on cheeks or a pillow

describes current moist eyes rather than visible residue from past tears

Antonyms

unemotional
11 4.4

Not showing strong feelings

dry-eyed
2 5.8

Not crying or showing any tears

How Tearful

tearful
26 1.8
watery-eyed
1 4.1
dry-eyed
2 5.8

Surface Forms

watery-eyed positive

Morphology

watery-eyed = watery + eyed (transparent) = watery + eyed

Formed from two productive English elements whose meanings combine predictably: 'watery' (having water/tears) + 'eyed' (having eyes of a specified type) → having watery eyes.

Etymology

The word watery-eyed comes from the simple parts water ('liquid') and eye ('the part that sees'), so it literally means 'eyes with water'. It describes someone whose eyes look full of tears or as if they might cry.