feeling tearful

USAGE SUMMARY

"feeling tearful" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to describe a state of being emotional or on the verge of crying. Example: "After watching the movie, I found myself feeling tearful." Alternative expressions include "feeling emotional" and "feeling weepy."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

But despite feeling tearful and overwhelmed, she realised that: "Trapeze is symbolic of things out of reach and you find your way to get up.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Toyah left the prison feeling "tearful, but triumphant" and Taylor commented that while she would never fully recover from her ordeal, Toyah was determined to look towards the future.

Wikipedia

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

I remember being on court feeling dizzy, disorientated, tearful, then coming off court, going into the locker room, and finding my period had started – and realising, ah, that's why I was all over the place".

The Guardian - Sport

Speaking at the unveiling of the work at Tate Britain, Emin admitted to feeling "a bit tearful" after seeing it installed: "It's fantastic, it's like the work has come home.

The Guardian

Reactions such as anger and aggression, shouting at team members and colleagues, a tearful feeling of resignation and sorrow, apology, self-control, calming behaviour, forgiveness, flexibility and coping with oneself were enumerated by the participants.

Human Resources for Health

I had been feeling hopeless and helpless, tearful, with no motivation or interest in doing anything.

The Guardian

Ms. Judd's quick scramble of feeling -- angry, flummoxed, tearful and subliminally aware of the ridiculousness of the circumstance -- provides exactly the right answer.

The New York Times

"We have the choice to live our days with purpose, to make sure that no other parent has to feel what we're feeling," Morgan Miller said in a tearful interview with the "Today" show that aired Monday morning.

Huffington Post

Ms Norbury's group therapy gets a dose of baking metaphors and feelings courtesy of a tearful trespasser, but Damian's not buying it.

The Guardian - Film

However, mothers who keep to scheduled feeding times score better on wellbeing measures, and report feeling more confident and less tearful.

The Guardian

During our tearful goodbye, a feeling of peace swept through my body like I was getting tickled by the Dalai Lama.

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "feeling tearful" to describe an internal state of being about to cry, rather than the act of crying itself. It is particularly effective in narrative writing to show vulnerability.

Common error

Avoid using "feeling tearful" when the subject is already actively sobbing. In those cases, a more active verb like "weeping" or "crying" is more accurate.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "feeling tearful" acts as an adjective phrase describing a subjective emotional state. According to Ludwig AI, it is often used as a complement to the verb "be" or as a result of a specific event. The word "feeling" functions as a present participle that links the subject to the state described by the adjective "tearful".

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

75%

Science

15%

Wiki

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Reference

3%

Social Media

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In conclusion, "feeling tearful" is a precise and widely recognized phrase used to describe the precursor to crying. While Ludwig identifies its exact phrase frequency as Rare in certain restricted sets, its overall usage across major publications like The New York Times and The Guardian demonstrates its versatility in neutral and professional registers. It effectively bridges the gap between the abstract emotion of sadness and the physical act of crying, making it a valuable tool for writers seeking to describe emotional sensitivity with nuance. For more specific contexts, synonyms like "on the verge of tears" can be used to add dramatic weight.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

on the verge of tears

Emphasizes the immediacy of crying

feeling weepy

More informal and often implies a prolonged state

close to crying

A simpler, more direct literal description

emotional

A broader term for any strong feeling

moved to tears

Suggests an external cause for the emotion

choked up

Focuses on the physical sensation in the throat

misty-eyed

Often used in nostalgic or sentimental contexts

overcome with emotion

Significantly more intense than feeling tearful

watery-eyed

Focuses on the visible physical symptom

feeling sentimental

Implies emotion rooted in memory or tenderness

FAQs

How to use "feeling tearful" in a sentence?

You can use it as a predicate adjective to describe someone's state, for example: "She was "feeling tearful" after hearing the news."

What can I say instead of "feeling tearful"?

Depending on the context, you can use "on the verge of tears", "feeling weepy", or "emotional".

Is "feeling tearful" formal or informal?

It is generally considered a neutral phrase. While it appears frequently in news media and literature, it is also perfectly acceptable in informal conversation.

What is the difference between "feeling tearful" and "feeling sad"?

While "feeling sad" is a general emotion, "feeling tearful" specifically describes the physical sensation and proximity to crying.