welling up
Tears slowly gathering
Welling up describes liquid rising slowly from below, as water wells up from a spring or tears well up in someone's eyes.
The phrase extends to emotions that rise gradually and feel ready to overflow: Grief welled up in her chest.
Something wells up when it emerges from a deep source, whether physical or emotional.
Act of ascending
- floodingOverwhelming water accumulation
- rushingRapid forward movement
- swellingAbnormal tissue enlargement
- overflowingExceeding capacity, spilling out
bubbling · building · mounting · gathering · surging · filling · spilling · gushing
Shedding tears audibly
- sobbingConvulsive crying aloud
- cryingEmotional tear release
- tearfulProne to weeping
- misty-eyedEyes moist with emotion
dewy-eyed · watery · brimming · glistening · moist · sniffling · blubbering · choked up
Sensed inner state
- sentimentFelt attitude or view
- nostalgiaLonging for the past
- heartacheDeep emotional distress
- yearningIntense prolonged craving
melancholy · poignancy · sorrow · grief · tenderness · longing · compassion · empathy
rising
Act of ascending
- floodingOverwhelming water accumulation
- rushingRapid forward movement
- swellingAbnormal tissue enlargement
overflowing · bubbling · building · mounting · gathering · surging · filling · spilling · gushing · bursting
weeping
Shedding tears audibly
misty-eyed · dewy-eyed · watery · brimming · glistening · moist · sniffling · blubbering · choked up · red-eyed
feeling
Sensed inner state
yearning · melancholy · poignancy · sorrow · grief · tenderness · longing · compassion · empathy · vulnerability
groundwater
Water in underground rock
- aquiferGroundwater-bearing geological formation
- fountainWater-spouting structure
- sourcePoint of origin
seeping · percolating · bubbling up · artesian · geyser · flowing · emerging · surfacing · springing · issuing
welling upsuppressing
Forcibly restraining or inhibiting
holding back · pushing down · swallowing · bottling up · repressing
welling updepleting
Progressively using up
running dry · draining · diminishing · emptying · drying out