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teary-eyed

teary-eyed

9 3.2
With eyes full of tears because of strong feeling or something in the eye
  • adjective
  • /ˈtɪəri aɪd/
translation icon : con los ojos llorosos
  • Just look at your president, getting all teary-eyed for the second time in as many days.

I mean, I'm going to get teary eyed now, but I have allergies.

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Examples

  • You are such an amazing human being, and I am getting teary-eyed just typing this!

    Blog text (30)
  • The camera pans the audience of teary-eyed parents, many of them with camcorders.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • At first, he got slightly teary-eyed, and then he got a huge smile on his face.

    Blog text (21)
  • And a lot of them make me all teary-eyed, which I love.

    Blog text (34)
  • But I got a little teary-eyed, and I was very emotional by the end.

  • My big boys get quiet and teary-eyed when they hear me singing on occasion to their little brother.

    Blog text (2)
  • I was quite depressed and a little teary-eyed.

    Academic text (1997)
  • The moment is interrupted, and I am directed to a new student, a slight, teary-eyed boy who hesitantly enters my office.

    Academic text (2005)
  • We dolly past the bland faces of teary-eyed graduates until we stop on Enid.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • She became teary-eyed during the emotional farewell at her friend's wedding.

Synonyms

in tears
vsteary-eyed
64 2.0

Crying because you feel very sad or touched

is about eyes filled with tears without full crying
tearful
vsteary-eyed
26 1.8

Showing you are about to cry because of a strong feeling

is used for mild eye watering from irritation as well as emotion
teary
vsteary-eyed
21 2.0

Having eyes that look ready to cry

is often caused by emotion or irritation rather than deep sobbing
weepy
vsteary-eyed
20 3.7

Feeling like you want to cry easily

describes actual tear-filled eyes rather than a disposition to cry
misty-eyed
vsteary-eyed
5 4.8

Eyes are wet with tears because of strong feeling

is about literal tear filling rather than a soft misty appearance
watery-eyed
vsteary-eyed
1 4.1

Having eyes full of tears and looking as if about to cry

is about eyes actually filled with tears rather than only a moist look
lachrymose
vsteary-eyed
  • Literature
1 9.9

Showing sadness or making people want to cry

is the common everyday phrase for eyes filled with tears

Antonyms

11 4.4

Not showing strong feelings

2 5.8

Not crying or showing any tears

How Teary

tearful
26 1.8
teary-eyed
9 3.2
watery-eyed
1 4.1
dry-eyed
2 5.8

Surface Forms

teary-eyed positive

Morphology

teary-eyed = teary + eyed (transparent) = tear + eye + y + ed

Formed by compounding the adjectives 'teary' and 'eyed'; both components retain clear, productive meanings so the compound meaning is directly inferable.

Etymology

Teary-eyed joins teary (from tear, 'a drop of water from the eye') and eyed (like in blue-eyed). So it means 'having eyes full of tears', which makes a clear picture to remember.