misty-eyed

/'misti'aid/

Thân thiện

She became misty-eyed while reading the heartfelt letter.

Definition

Adjective: 1. Having eyes that are tearful or blurred with tears: Describes a state where someone's eyes are filled with tears or are glistening with moisture, often due to strong emotion. 2. Sentimental or emotionally affected: Describes a feeling of tender sadness, nostalgia, or deep emotion that is on the verge of causing tears.

Usage and Examples

• Literal (tearful eyes):
  • The farewell speech left her misty-eyed. (The speech caused her eyes to fill with tears.)
  • He became misty-eyed while watching the old home videos. (His eyes became blurred with tears while watching.)
• Figurative (sentimental):
  • She gets misty-eyed whenever she talks about her childhood. (She becomes emotionally tender and nostalgic.)
  • It was a misty-eyed tribute to the heroes of the past. (It was a deeply sentimental tribute.)

Advanced Usage and Nuance

• The term often implies a gentle, poignant, or bittersweet emotion rather than intense grief or hysterical crying. It suggests being moved emotionally to the point where tears well up but may not necessarily fall.
• It can describe a reaction to something beautiful, nostalgic, or profoundly touching.
  • The veteran's story left the entire audience misty-eyed. (The story emotionally moved the audience.)

Variants and Related Words

• Misty (adj): Literally full of or obscured by mist; figuratively, unclear or dim. Can be used similarly for eyes ().
• Tearful (adj): Full of tears or crying. This is a more direct synonym but can imply more active crying than "misty-eyed," which often suggests tears just forming.
• Dewy-eyed (adj): Having eyes bright with moisture, often due to emotion or innocence. Similar to "misty-eyed" but can also imply naivete or wonder.

Synonyms

• Tearful: Inclined to or marked by tears.
• Weepy: Liable to weep; tearful.
• Emotional: Readily affected by or expressing emotion.
• Sentimental: Prompted by feelings of tenderness, sadness, or nostalgia.
• Moved: Emotionally affected.

Antonyms

• Dry-eyed: Not crying; not showing emotion through tears.
• Unemotional: Not having or showing strong feelings.
• Stoic: Enduring pain or hardship without showing feelings or complaining.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• To get choked up: To become too emotional to speak clearly, often with tears. This is a more informal phrase with a similar meaning.
  • I always get choked up at weddings.
• To have a lump in one's throat: To feel pressure in the throat as a result of strong emotion, often before crying.
  • The song gave me a lump in my throat.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. having eyes blurred as with tears
   • sad and misty-eyed