TEARFULNESS

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does tearfulness mean? 

• TEARFULNESS (noun)
  The noun TEARFULNESS has 1 sense:

1. sadness expressed by weeping

  Familiarity information: TEARFULNESS used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• TEARFULNESS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Sadness expressed by weeping

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Synonyms:

tearfulness; weepiness

Hypernyms ("tearfulness" is a kind of...):

sadness; unhappiness (emotions experienced when not in a state of well-being)

Derivation:

tearful (showing sorrow)

tearful (filled with or marked by tears)

 Context examples 

Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) Does the patient have periods of tearfulness or sobbing that seem to indicate sadness?

(NPI - Periods of Tearfulness or Sobbing, NCI Thesaurus)

Warning signs that it might be a more serious problem include: • Problems in more than one setting (at school, at home, with peers) • Changes in appetite or sleep • Social withdrawal or fear of things he or she did not used to be not afraid of • Returning to behaviors more common in younger children, such as bedwetting • Signs of being upset, such as sadness or tearfulness • Signs of self-destructive behavior, such as head-banging or suddenly getting hurt often • Repeated thoughts of death

(Child Mental Health, NIH: National Institute of Mental Health)