Words / C2

LAKR-im-ohs/ˈlækrɪməʊs/

Lachrymose means tearful, or causing tears (literary / formal): a lachrymose tribute, lachrymose about the past. Tearful and weepy are everyday; maudlin (this batch) is self-pitying sentiment. Lacrimal is the anatomy of tears. Do not call a precise incident report lachrymose because someone died — tone is the issue, not the fact.

Meaning

Tearful, or tending to cause tears; weepy (literary / formal).

Examples

• “A lachrymose tribute sat oddly beside the missing safety paragraph.”
• “A lachrymose page of “we were a family” sat beside the missing fire paragraph.”
• “Tearful is everyday; lachrymose is bookish. Maudlin adds self-pity, often with drink.”

Good to know

Tearful / weepy (formal). Everyday: tearful. Close (worse): maudlin. Anatomy cousin: lacrimal. Not “a sad fact told plainly”.

Near in meaning

tearful

New