welled up
Tears began forming
Welled up describes liquid rising and overflowing from a source—tears welling up in someone's eyes, blood welling up from a wound, water welling up from underground.
Figuratively, emotions well up when they surge from within: Anger welled up in her chest.
The past tense of well up, functioning as both verb phrase and adjective: His eyes welled up.
Violent pulls apart
- cryVocal expression of emotion
- weepShed tears emotionally
- sobConvulsive weeping
- movedChanged location or felt
touched · overcome · choked · misty-eyed · teary · emotional · feeling · sentiment
Full to the top
- overflowingExceeding capacity, spilling out
- risingAct of ascending
- surgingRising with sudden force
- floodingOverwhelming water accumulation
spilling · pooling · filling · bubbling · seeping · gathering · swelling · accumulating
Concern for others' distress
- movedChanged location or felt
- sympathyCompassionate understanding of others
- touchedAffected emotionally or physically
- connectionA joining or relation
solidarity · tenderness · warmth · caring · humanity · heartfelt · vicarious · witnessing
Freed from a load
thankful · overwhelmed · cathartic · breakthrough · letting go · emotional release · happy tears · joy
tears
Violent pulls apart
moved · touched · overcome · choked · misty-eyed · teary · emotional · feeling · sentiment · stirred
brimming
Full to the top
- overflowingExceeding capacity, spilling out
- risingAct of ascending
- surgingRising with sudden force
flooding · spilling · pooling · filling · bubbling · seeping · gathering · swelling · accumulating · collecting
compassion
Concern for others' distress
- movedChanged location or felt
- sympathyCompassionate understanding of others
- touchedAffected emotionally or physically
connection · solidarity · tenderness · warmth · caring · humanity · heartfelt · vicarious · witnessing · communal
unburdened
Freed from a load
grateful · thankful · overwhelmed · cathartic · breakthrough · letting go · emotional release · happy tears · joy · reunion
welled upsuppressed
Forcibly held down
held back · pushed down · swallowed · stifled · repressed
welled updrained away
Flowed until gone
subsided · receded · ebbed · dried up · drained out