sưót mướt

Definition
  1. Adjective:
    • Tearful; weeping copiously: Describes a state of crying with abundant tears, often in a manner that is visibly wet and dripping. It emphasizes the physical wetness of the face from tears.
    • Mawkishly sentimental; maudlin: Can describe overly emotional, cloying, or excessively tearful behavior, speech, or artistic style, often with a negative connotation of being insincere or self-pitying.
Usage Examples
  • Adjective:
    • Đứa trẻ khóc sướt mướt vì bị ngã. (The child cried copiously because it fell.)
    • Cô ấy kể lại câu chuyện một cách sướt mướt. (She recounted the story in a mawkishly sentimental way.)
    • Gương mặt anh ấy ướt đẫm, trông thật sướt mướt. (His face was soaked, looking very tearful.)
Advanced Usage
  • The word is often used adverbially in the phrase "khóc sướt mướt", which is a fixed collocation meaning "to cry one's eyes out" or "to weep buckets."
    • Nghe tin buồn, cô ấy khóc sướt mướt cả đêm. (Upon hearing the sad news, she cried her eyes out all night.)
Variants and Related Words
  • Sướt mướt is the standard spelling. It is sometimes seen as "sưót mướt", but this is considered a less common or archaic variant.
  • Ướt đẫm (adj): soaked, drenched. Can describe being wet from water or tears, but without the emotional connotation of .
  • Nức nở (v): to sob. Refers to the convulsive act of crying with gasps, whereas focuses on the profuse flow of tears.
Synonyms
  • Tearful: full of tears.
  • Maudlin: self-pityingly or tearfully sentimental.
  • Lachrymose: given to shedding tears readily; tearful.
Related Idioms
  • While "sướt mướt" itself is not part of a wider idiom, its typical use in "khóc sướt mướt" functions as an idiomatic expression for intense crying.
  • Giọng sướt mướt: a maudlin tone of voice.
    • Anh ta dùng giọng sướt mướt để xin lỗi. (He used a maudlin tone to apologize.)