Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

teary

/ˈtɪəɹi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.84 in modern English

Syllables: teary
IPA: /ˈtɪəɹi/

8

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Of a person, having eyes filled with tears; inclined to cry.

adj

Of eyes, filled with tears.

Example Sentences

"No wonder Ryan was teary; he missed his parents."
"Wade looked into his girlfriend's teary eyes."

Etymology

From Middle English tery; equivalent to tear + -y.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: tery
Suffix: tear

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈtɪəɹi/
British English: /ˈtɪəɹi/

Inflected Forms

tearier (comparative) teariest (superlative)

Derived Forms

tearily teariness

Phrases

teary-eyed

Synonyms

cryey sobful weepy crysome lachrymate lachrymose larmoyant maudlin moist tearful teary watery

Antonyms

dry-eyed dry

Rhymes With

theory weary erie eerie siri dreary o'leary cheery cleary leary geary leery

Questions

How do you pronounce teary?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈtɪəɹi/.
What does teary mean?: Of a person, having eyes filled with tears; inclined to cry.
Where does teary come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce teary

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “teary”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈtɪəɹi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “teary”.
Repeat and practice — Say “teary” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.