emotional tears
Sobbing from feelings
Emotional tears are tears produced not by physical irritation but by strong feeling—grief, joy, frustration, or relief.
Humans are the only animals known to weep from emotion.
The phrase distinguishes these from basal tears (which lubricate the eye) and reflex tears (triggered by irritants like onion fumes): She wasn't hurt; those were emotional tears.
- cryingEmotional tear release
- ugly cryingUncontrolled, unflattering sobbing
- weepingShedding tears audibly
- sobbingConvulsive crying aloud
- sadnessState of emotional pain
joy · grief · sorrow · heartbreak · mourning · overwhelmed · bittersweet · release · catharsis · good cry · cheeks · tissue · streaking · salty · blurry · sniffling · choking · watery eyes
emotional tearsdry eyes
Lacking natural moisture
stoicism · tearlessness · composure · stiff upper lip · impassivity
emotional, tears, emotion, emotions, emotionally, emotive, emote, emotes, emoted