Teary

Teary is an adjective describing something characterized by tears or by the presence of moisture in the eyes. It can refer to the eyes themselves, an expression, or a scene that involves crying, such as “teary eyes” or “a teary farewell.” In common usage, teary is often synonymous with tearful, but it more strongly implies that tears are present in the eyes rather than just the mood.

The term is formed from the noun tear with the adjectival suffix -y, indicating a characteristic or quality. It is distinct from tear as a rip, which is etymologically unrelated, even though the two words are spelled identically in modern English.

Usage notes: Teary is widely used in everyday language, journalism, and literary descriptions to convey emotion or vulnerability. The compound teary-eyed is a frequent construction. While teary can describe emotional crying, it can also describe eyes that are moist from irritation or other non-emotional causes, though tearful or lachrymose may be preferred for more formal or literary contexts.

Related concepts: Synonyms include tearful, weepy, and lachrymose (the latter two often carrying more formal or literary connotations). Physiologically, tears are produced by the lacrimal glands, and teary-eyed situations may arise from crying, allergies, foreign bodies, or other ocular irritants. Persistent tearing without emotional cause may indicate a medical condition requiring evaluation, such as epiphora or conjunctival irritation.