What is a good word to describe watery eyes?

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2
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Before someone cries, their eyes often appear watery. Is there a good name for that effect?



This was my attempt to describe it so far:




"My eyes become ________ [glossy] as I hold back my tears."




Is there a better word to be used in place of glossy? The whole "eyes become glossy" part can be reworded to suit the new word.










share|improve this question









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  • You are right; 'glossy' is a terrible word in this context.
    – Mitch
    7 hours ago










  • @Mitch luckily I got a lot of better alternatives from the answers.😄
    – Nathan
    7 hours ago










  • Google NGrams can offer some perspective on how common the variations are. I personally think 'glisten' sounds strange here (a little like purple prose), but it seems to have been popular before the 80's.
    – Mitch
    7 hours ago











  • @Mitch Wow, that's an amazing tool. Thanks.
    – Nathan
    7 hours ago










  • Nathan, Google NGrams is great, but it's not perfect. The dates can often be wrong, the selection of books that make up the corpus is slanted in ways we don't know, searching has to take into account a out of context. But 1) it is available 2) it is free!
    – Mitch
    3 hours ago
















up vote
2
down vote

favorite












Before someone cries, their eyes often appear watery. Is there a good name for that effect?



This was my attempt to describe it so far:




"My eyes become ________ [glossy] as I hold back my tears."




Is there a better word to be used in place of glossy? The whole "eyes become glossy" part can be reworded to suit the new word.










share|improve this question









New contributor




Nathan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.



















  • You are right; 'glossy' is a terrible word in this context.
    – Mitch
    7 hours ago










  • @Mitch luckily I got a lot of better alternatives from the answers.😄
    – Nathan
    7 hours ago










  • Google NGrams can offer some perspective on how common the variations are. I personally think 'glisten' sounds strange here (a little like purple prose), but it seems to have been popular before the 80's.
    – Mitch
    7 hours ago











  • @Mitch Wow, that's an amazing tool. Thanks.
    – Nathan
    7 hours ago










  • Nathan, Google NGrams is great, but it's not perfect. The dates can often be wrong, the selection of books that make up the corpus is slanted in ways we don't know, searching has to take into account a out of context. But 1) it is available 2) it is free!
    – Mitch
    3 hours ago












up vote
2
down vote

favorite









up vote
2
down vote

favorite











Before someone cries, their eyes often appear watery. Is there a good name for that effect?



This was my attempt to describe it so far:




"My eyes become ________ [glossy] as I hold back my tears."




Is there a better word to be used in place of glossy? The whole "eyes become glossy" part can be reworded to suit the new word.










share|improve this question









New contributor




Nathan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











Before someone cries, their eyes often appear watery. Is there a good name for that effect?



This was my attempt to describe it so far:




"My eyes become ________ [glossy] as I hold back my tears."




Is there a better word to be used in place of glossy? The whole "eyes become glossy" part can be reworded to suit the new word.







single-word-requests






share|improve this question









New contributor




Nathan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











share|improve this question









New contributor




Nathan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 10 hours ago









alwayslearning

23.7k53090




23.7k53090






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asked 10 hours ago









Nathan

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536




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New contributor





Nathan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






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Check out our Code of Conduct.











  • You are right; 'glossy' is a terrible word in this context.
    – Mitch
    7 hours ago










  • @Mitch luckily I got a lot of better alternatives from the answers.😄
    – Nathan
    7 hours ago










  • Google NGrams can offer some perspective on how common the variations are. I personally think 'glisten' sounds strange here (a little like purple prose), but it seems to have been popular before the 80's.
    – Mitch
    7 hours ago











  • @Mitch Wow, that's an amazing tool. Thanks.
    – Nathan
    7 hours ago










  • Nathan, Google NGrams is great, but it's not perfect. The dates can often be wrong, the selection of books that make up the corpus is slanted in ways we don't know, searching has to take into account a out of context. But 1) it is available 2) it is free!
    – Mitch
    3 hours ago
















  • You are right; 'glossy' is a terrible word in this context.
    – Mitch
    7 hours ago










  • @Mitch luckily I got a lot of better alternatives from the answers.😄
    – Nathan
    7 hours ago










  • Google NGrams can offer some perspective on how common the variations are. I personally think 'glisten' sounds strange here (a little like purple prose), but it seems to have been popular before the 80's.
    – Mitch
    7 hours ago











  • @Mitch Wow, that's an amazing tool. Thanks.
    – Nathan
    7 hours ago










  • Nathan, Google NGrams is great, but it's not perfect. The dates can often be wrong, the selection of books that make up the corpus is slanted in ways we don't know, searching has to take into account a out of context. But 1) it is available 2) it is free!
    – Mitch
    3 hours ago















You are right; 'glossy' is a terrible word in this context.
– Mitch
7 hours ago




You are right; 'glossy' is a terrible word in this context.
– Mitch
7 hours ago












@Mitch luckily I got a lot of better alternatives from the answers.😄
– Nathan
7 hours ago




@Mitch luckily I got a lot of better alternatives from the answers.😄
– Nathan
7 hours ago












Google NGrams can offer some perspective on how common the variations are. I personally think 'glisten' sounds strange here (a little like purple prose), but it seems to have been popular before the 80's.
– Mitch
7 hours ago





Google NGrams can offer some perspective on how common the variations are. I personally think 'glisten' sounds strange here (a little like purple prose), but it seems to have been popular before the 80's.
– Mitch
7 hours ago













@Mitch Wow, that's an amazing tool. Thanks.
– Nathan
7 hours ago




@Mitch Wow, that's an amazing tool. Thanks.
– Nathan
7 hours ago












Nathan, Google NGrams is great, but it's not perfect. The dates can often be wrong, the selection of books that make up the corpus is slanted in ways we don't know, searching has to take into account a out of context. But 1) it is available 2) it is free!
– Mitch
3 hours ago




Nathan, Google NGrams is great, but it's not perfect. The dates can often be wrong, the selection of books that make up the corpus is slanted in ways we don't know, searching has to take into account a out of context. But 1) it is available 2) it is free!
– Mitch
3 hours ago










5 Answers
5






active

oldest

votes

















up vote
5
down vote



accepted










Although it may not seem to be the most logical answer, the standard phrase is "to mist over".




From Oxford Learners' Dictionary:



[intransitive, transitive] if your eyes mist or something mists them,
they fill with tears mist (over/up) Her eyes misted over as she
listened to the speech. Her eyes misted over with tears.



https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/mist_2







share|improve this answer



























    up vote
    5
    down vote













    Two common ways is to say one's eyes or tears "well up"




    verb
    often well up

    1. no object, with adverbial (of a liquid) rise up to the surface and spill or be about to spill.
    ‘tears were beginning to well up in
    her eyes’
    Oxford Living Dictionaries



    v. To rise to the edge of a container, ready to flow:
    Lava welled up
    in the crater.
    Tears welled up in my eyes, but I did not cry.
    I could
    feel anger well up in me.
    The American Heritage Dictionary of
    Phrasal Verbs



    well up
    (from something) and well up (out of something) [for a
    liquid] to gush or pour up and away from something.
    Tears welled up out of the baby's eyes.
    McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs




    According to Google NGram Viewer, the terms "eyes welled up" and "tears welled up" have become quite popular over the recent years.



    "eyes welled up" and "tears welled up" Google NGram chart. You can also compare these terms with other alternatives.




    "My eyes welled up as I held back my tears."







    share|improve this answer






















    • +1 'to well up'
      – lbf
      8 hours ago

















    up vote
    5
    down vote













    I have seen moist used often in this context.




    "My eyes become moist as I hold back my tears."




    ODO:




    moist
    ADJECTIVE



    1.1 (of the eyes) wet with tears.



    ‘her brother's eyes became moist’




    Another word used often in this context is (quite literally as used in the question itself), watery.




    "My eyes become watery as I hold back my tears."




    ODO:




    watery



    ADJECTIVE



    1.1 (of a person's eyes) full of tears.



    ‘My eyes were a bit watery, something that happens after anyone shouts
    at me.’




    With some rearrangement of words, you can also use the verb well.




    "My eyes welled with tears as I tried to hold them back."




    ODO:




    well.
    VERB



    [often well up]



    1 [no object, with adverbial (of a liquid)] rise up to the surface and spill or be about to spill.



    ‘tears were beginning to well up in her eyes’



    ‘His eyes welled with tears as they rushed down his cheeks like
    waterfall.







    share|improve this answer






















    • You are correct, but I'm not going mark this question an answered because I have recently learned that a large portion of the population now associates this word with disgust. While the word definition makes no mention of the disgust, if a large number of people think it has a different meaning, then I can't use it. I definitely don't want people to think the action of crying is disgusting. This paper investigated the feeling of disgust people have towards the word 'moist' specifically.
      – Nathan
      10 hours ago







    • 1




      @Nathan just because you've heard that some people don't like the sound of this word doesn't mean much. It is a very common word that lots of people have no problem with at all. I don't think 'moist' is appropriate here, but it is a perfectly acceptable word in general.
      – Mitch
      7 hours ago










    • @Mitch My goal when writing is to convey information with text, so what people think a word means is more important than its dictionary definition. According to that paper, 10-20% of people find 'moist' to mean 'wet and disgusting'. Yes, 10-20% is in the minority, but it's a substantial amount. Whereas other words suggested here have close to 0% of people thinking they mean 'disgusting'. My hesitance to use the word 'moist' is justified considering that one out of every five people will misunderstand what I'm trying to tell them.
      – Nathan
      7 hours ago










    • @Mitch If it was in the context of a legal document or formal report, then I would happily use 'moist'. In those settings people take definitions more seriously.
      – Nathan
      7 hours ago






    • 1




      +1 I would personally prefer watery first and moist second. I see nothing with with either, and think that avoiding them because of a misperception isn't the right approach.
      – Jason Bassford
      1 hour ago

















    up vote
    4
    down vote













    Misty Eyes
    Definition of misty-eyed
    1 : having tearful eyes



    https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misty-eyed






    share|improve this answer



























      up vote
      3
      down vote













      You could use "glisten" in this context (although you might want to reconstruct the sentence in that case), something like:




      My eyes glisten as I hold back my tears







      share|improve this answer








      New contributor




      microenzo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.

















      • Lots of great answers here, but I'm only allowed to check one. Thank you everyone for your help. All the answers are very useful.
        – Nathan
        7 hours ago










      Your Answer








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      5 Answers
      5






      active

      oldest

      votes








      5 Answers
      5






      active

      oldest

      votes









      active

      oldest

      votes






      active

      oldest

      votes








      up vote
      5
      down vote



      accepted










      Although it may not seem to be the most logical answer, the standard phrase is "to mist over".




      From Oxford Learners' Dictionary:



      [intransitive, transitive] if your eyes mist or something mists them,
      they fill with tears mist (over/up) Her eyes misted over as she
      listened to the speech. Her eyes misted over with tears.



      https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/mist_2







      share|improve this answer
























        up vote
        5
        down vote



        accepted










        Although it may not seem to be the most logical answer, the standard phrase is "to mist over".




        From Oxford Learners' Dictionary:



        [intransitive, transitive] if your eyes mist or something mists them,
        they fill with tears mist (over/up) Her eyes misted over as she
        listened to the speech. Her eyes misted over with tears.



        https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/mist_2







        share|improve this answer






















          up vote
          5
          down vote



          accepted







          up vote
          5
          down vote



          accepted






          Although it may not seem to be the most logical answer, the standard phrase is "to mist over".




          From Oxford Learners' Dictionary:



          [intransitive, transitive] if your eyes mist or something mists them,
          they fill with tears mist (over/up) Her eyes misted over as she
          listened to the speech. Her eyes misted over with tears.



          https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/mist_2







          share|improve this answer












          Although it may not seem to be the most logical answer, the standard phrase is "to mist over".




          From Oxford Learners' Dictionary:



          [intransitive, transitive] if your eyes mist or something mists them,
          they fill with tears mist (over/up) Her eyes misted over as she
          listened to the speech. Her eyes misted over with tears.



          https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/mist_2








          share|improve this answer












          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer










          answered 10 hours ago









          chasly from UK

          21.2k12763




          21.2k12763






















              up vote
              5
              down vote













              Two common ways is to say one's eyes or tears "well up"




              verb
              often well up

              1. no object, with adverbial (of a liquid) rise up to the surface and spill or be about to spill.
              ‘tears were beginning to well up in
              her eyes’
              Oxford Living Dictionaries



              v. To rise to the edge of a container, ready to flow:
              Lava welled up
              in the crater.
              Tears welled up in my eyes, but I did not cry.
              I could
              feel anger well up in me.
              The American Heritage Dictionary of
              Phrasal Verbs



              well up
              (from something) and well up (out of something) [for a
              liquid] to gush or pour up and away from something.
              Tears welled up out of the baby's eyes.
              McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs




              According to Google NGram Viewer, the terms "eyes welled up" and "tears welled up" have become quite popular over the recent years.



              "eyes welled up" and "tears welled up" Google NGram chart. You can also compare these terms with other alternatives.




              "My eyes welled up as I held back my tears."







              share|improve this answer






















              • +1 'to well up'
                – lbf
                8 hours ago














              up vote
              5
              down vote













              Two common ways is to say one's eyes or tears "well up"




              verb
              often well up

              1. no object, with adverbial (of a liquid) rise up to the surface and spill or be about to spill.
              ‘tears were beginning to well up in
              her eyes’
              Oxford Living Dictionaries



              v. To rise to the edge of a container, ready to flow:
              Lava welled up
              in the crater.
              Tears welled up in my eyes, but I did not cry.
              I could
              feel anger well up in me.
              The American Heritage Dictionary of
              Phrasal Verbs



              well up
              (from something) and well up (out of something) [for a
              liquid] to gush or pour up and away from something.
              Tears welled up out of the baby's eyes.
              McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs




              According to Google NGram Viewer, the terms "eyes welled up" and "tears welled up" have become quite popular over the recent years.



              "eyes welled up" and "tears welled up" Google NGram chart. You can also compare these terms with other alternatives.




              "My eyes welled up as I held back my tears."







              share|improve this answer






















              • +1 'to well up'
                – lbf
                8 hours ago












              up vote
              5
              down vote










              up vote
              5
              down vote









              Two common ways is to say one's eyes or tears "well up"




              verb
              often well up

              1. no object, with adverbial (of a liquid) rise up to the surface and spill or be about to spill.
              ‘tears were beginning to well up in
              her eyes’
              Oxford Living Dictionaries



              v. To rise to the edge of a container, ready to flow:
              Lava welled up
              in the crater.
              Tears welled up in my eyes, but I did not cry.
              I could
              feel anger well up in me.
              The American Heritage Dictionary of
              Phrasal Verbs



              well up
              (from something) and well up (out of something) [for a
              liquid] to gush or pour up and away from something.
              Tears welled up out of the baby's eyes.
              McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs




              According to Google NGram Viewer, the terms "eyes welled up" and "tears welled up" have become quite popular over the recent years.



              "eyes welled up" and "tears welled up" Google NGram chart. You can also compare these terms with other alternatives.




              "My eyes welled up as I held back my tears."







              share|improve this answer














              Two common ways is to say one's eyes or tears "well up"




              verb
              often well up

              1. no object, with adverbial (of a liquid) rise up to the surface and spill or be about to spill.
              ‘tears were beginning to well up in
              her eyes’
              Oxford Living Dictionaries



              v. To rise to the edge of a container, ready to flow:
              Lava welled up
              in the crater.
              Tears welled up in my eyes, but I did not cry.
              I could
              feel anger well up in me.
              The American Heritage Dictionary of
              Phrasal Verbs



              well up
              (from something) and well up (out of something) [for a
              liquid] to gush or pour up and away from something.
              Tears welled up out of the baby's eyes.
              McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs




              According to Google NGram Viewer, the terms "eyes welled up" and "tears welled up" have become quite popular over the recent years.



              "eyes welled up" and "tears welled up" Google NGram chart. You can also compare these terms with other alternatives.




              "My eyes welled up as I held back my tears."








              share|improve this answer














              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer








              edited 8 hours ago

























              answered 8 hours ago









              Zebrafish

              7,92021130




              7,92021130











              • +1 'to well up'
                – lbf
                8 hours ago
















              • +1 'to well up'
                – lbf
                8 hours ago















              +1 'to well up'
              – lbf
              8 hours ago




              +1 'to well up'
              – lbf
              8 hours ago










              up vote
              5
              down vote













              I have seen moist used often in this context.




              "My eyes become moist as I hold back my tears."




              ODO:




              moist
              ADJECTIVE



              1.1 (of the eyes) wet with tears.



              ‘her brother's eyes became moist’




              Another word used often in this context is (quite literally as used in the question itself), watery.




              "My eyes become watery as I hold back my tears."




              ODO:




              watery



              ADJECTIVE



              1.1 (of a person's eyes) full of tears.



              ‘My eyes were a bit watery, something that happens after anyone shouts
              at me.’




              With some rearrangement of words, you can also use the verb well.




              "My eyes welled with tears as I tried to hold them back."




              ODO:




              well.
              VERB



              [often well up]



              1 [no object, with adverbial (of a liquid)] rise up to the surface and spill or be about to spill.



              ‘tears were beginning to well up in her eyes’



              ‘His eyes welled with tears as they rushed down his cheeks like
              waterfall.







              share|improve this answer






















              • You are correct, but I'm not going mark this question an answered because I have recently learned that a large portion of the population now associates this word with disgust. While the word definition makes no mention of the disgust, if a large number of people think it has a different meaning, then I can't use it. I definitely don't want people to think the action of crying is disgusting. This paper investigated the feeling of disgust people have towards the word 'moist' specifically.
                – Nathan
                10 hours ago







              • 1




                @Nathan just because you've heard that some people don't like the sound of this word doesn't mean much. It is a very common word that lots of people have no problem with at all. I don't think 'moist' is appropriate here, but it is a perfectly acceptable word in general.
                – Mitch
                7 hours ago










              • @Mitch My goal when writing is to convey information with text, so what people think a word means is more important than its dictionary definition. According to that paper, 10-20% of people find 'moist' to mean 'wet and disgusting'. Yes, 10-20% is in the minority, but it's a substantial amount. Whereas other words suggested here have close to 0% of people thinking they mean 'disgusting'. My hesitance to use the word 'moist' is justified considering that one out of every five people will misunderstand what I'm trying to tell them.
                – Nathan
                7 hours ago










              • @Mitch If it was in the context of a legal document or formal report, then I would happily use 'moist'. In those settings people take definitions more seriously.
                – Nathan
                7 hours ago






              • 1




                +1 I would personally prefer watery first and moist second. I see nothing with with either, and think that avoiding them because of a misperception isn't the right approach.
                – Jason Bassford
                1 hour ago














              up vote
              5
              down vote













              I have seen moist used often in this context.




              "My eyes become moist as I hold back my tears."




              ODO:




              moist
              ADJECTIVE



              1.1 (of the eyes) wet with tears.



              ‘her brother's eyes became moist’




              Another word used often in this context is (quite literally as used in the question itself), watery.




              "My eyes become watery as I hold back my tears."




              ODO:




              watery



              ADJECTIVE



              1.1 (of a person's eyes) full of tears.



              ‘My eyes were a bit watery, something that happens after anyone shouts
              at me.’




              With some rearrangement of words, you can also use the verb well.




              "My eyes welled with tears as I tried to hold them back."




              ODO:




              well.
              VERB



              [often well up]



              1 [no object, with adverbial (of a liquid)] rise up to the surface and spill or be about to spill.



              ‘tears were beginning to well up in her eyes’



              ‘His eyes welled with tears as they rushed down his cheeks like
              waterfall.







              share|improve this answer






















              • You are correct, but I'm not going mark this question an answered because I have recently learned that a large portion of the population now associates this word with disgust. While the word definition makes no mention of the disgust, if a large number of people think it has a different meaning, then I can't use it. I definitely don't want people to think the action of crying is disgusting. This paper investigated the feeling of disgust people have towards the word 'moist' specifically.
                – Nathan
                10 hours ago







              • 1




                @Nathan just because you've heard that some people don't like the sound of this word doesn't mean much. It is a very common word that lots of people have no problem with at all. I don't think 'moist' is appropriate here, but it is a perfectly acceptable word in general.
                – Mitch
                7 hours ago










              • @Mitch My goal when writing is to convey information with text, so what people think a word means is more important than its dictionary definition. According to that paper, 10-20% of people find 'moist' to mean 'wet and disgusting'. Yes, 10-20% is in the minority, but it's a substantial amount. Whereas other words suggested here have close to 0% of people thinking they mean 'disgusting'. My hesitance to use the word 'moist' is justified considering that one out of every five people will misunderstand what I'm trying to tell them.
                – Nathan
                7 hours ago










              • @Mitch If it was in the context of a legal document or formal report, then I would happily use 'moist'. In those settings people take definitions more seriously.
                – Nathan
                7 hours ago






              • 1




                +1 I would personally prefer watery first and moist second. I see nothing with with either, and think that avoiding them because of a misperception isn't the right approach.
                – Jason Bassford
                1 hour ago












              up vote
              5
              down vote










              up vote
              5
              down vote









              I have seen moist used often in this context.




              "My eyes become moist as I hold back my tears."




              ODO:




              moist
              ADJECTIVE



              1.1 (of the eyes) wet with tears.



              ‘her brother's eyes became moist’




              Another word used often in this context is (quite literally as used in the question itself), watery.




              "My eyes become watery as I hold back my tears."




              ODO:




              watery



              ADJECTIVE



              1.1 (of a person's eyes) full of tears.



              ‘My eyes were a bit watery, something that happens after anyone shouts
              at me.’




              With some rearrangement of words, you can also use the verb well.




              "My eyes welled with tears as I tried to hold them back."




              ODO:




              well.
              VERB



              [often well up]



              1 [no object, with adverbial (of a liquid)] rise up to the surface and spill or be about to spill.



              ‘tears were beginning to well up in her eyes’



              ‘His eyes welled with tears as they rushed down his cheeks like
              waterfall.







              share|improve this answer














              I have seen moist used often in this context.




              "My eyes become moist as I hold back my tears."




              ODO:




              moist
              ADJECTIVE



              1.1 (of the eyes) wet with tears.



              ‘her brother's eyes became moist’




              Another word used often in this context is (quite literally as used in the question itself), watery.




              "My eyes become watery as I hold back my tears."




              ODO:




              watery



              ADJECTIVE



              1.1 (of a person's eyes) full of tears.



              ‘My eyes were a bit watery, something that happens after anyone shouts
              at me.’




              With some rearrangement of words, you can also use the verb well.




              "My eyes welled with tears as I tried to hold them back."




              ODO:




              well.
              VERB



              [often well up]



              1 [no object, with adverbial (of a liquid)] rise up to the surface and spill or be about to spill.



              ‘tears were beginning to well up in her eyes’



              ‘His eyes welled with tears as they rushed down his cheeks like
              waterfall.








              share|improve this answer














              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer








              edited 8 hours ago

























              answered 10 hours ago









              alwayslearning

              23.7k53090




              23.7k53090











              • You are correct, but I'm not going mark this question an answered because I have recently learned that a large portion of the population now associates this word with disgust. While the word definition makes no mention of the disgust, if a large number of people think it has a different meaning, then I can't use it. I definitely don't want people to think the action of crying is disgusting. This paper investigated the feeling of disgust people have towards the word 'moist' specifically.
                – Nathan
                10 hours ago







              • 1




                @Nathan just because you've heard that some people don't like the sound of this word doesn't mean much. It is a very common word that lots of people have no problem with at all. I don't think 'moist' is appropriate here, but it is a perfectly acceptable word in general.
                – Mitch
                7 hours ago










              • @Mitch My goal when writing is to convey information with text, so what people think a word means is more important than its dictionary definition. According to that paper, 10-20% of people find 'moist' to mean 'wet and disgusting'. Yes, 10-20% is in the minority, but it's a substantial amount. Whereas other words suggested here have close to 0% of people thinking they mean 'disgusting'. My hesitance to use the word 'moist' is justified considering that one out of every five people will misunderstand what I'm trying to tell them.
                – Nathan
                7 hours ago










              • @Mitch If it was in the context of a legal document or formal report, then I would happily use 'moist'. In those settings people take definitions more seriously.
                – Nathan
                7 hours ago






              • 1




                +1 I would personally prefer watery first and moist second. I see nothing with with either, and think that avoiding them because of a misperception isn't the right approach.
                – Jason Bassford
                1 hour ago
















              • You are correct, but I'm not going mark this question an answered because I have recently learned that a large portion of the population now associates this word with disgust. While the word definition makes no mention of the disgust, if a large number of people think it has a different meaning, then I can't use it. I definitely don't want people to think the action of crying is disgusting. This paper investigated the feeling of disgust people have towards the word 'moist' specifically.
                – Nathan
                10 hours ago







              • 1




                @Nathan just because you've heard that some people don't like the sound of this word doesn't mean much. It is a very common word that lots of people have no problem with at all. I don't think 'moist' is appropriate here, but it is a perfectly acceptable word in general.
                – Mitch
                7 hours ago










              • @Mitch My goal when writing is to convey information with text, so what people think a word means is more important than its dictionary definition. According to that paper, 10-20% of people find 'moist' to mean 'wet and disgusting'. Yes, 10-20% is in the minority, but it's a substantial amount. Whereas other words suggested here have close to 0% of people thinking they mean 'disgusting'. My hesitance to use the word 'moist' is justified considering that one out of every five people will misunderstand what I'm trying to tell them.
                – Nathan
                7 hours ago










              • @Mitch If it was in the context of a legal document or formal report, then I would happily use 'moist'. In those settings people take definitions more seriously.
                – Nathan
                7 hours ago






              • 1




                +1 I would personally prefer watery first and moist second. I see nothing with with either, and think that avoiding them because of a misperception isn't the right approach.
                – Jason Bassford
                1 hour ago















              You are correct, but I'm not going mark this question an answered because I have recently learned that a large portion of the population now associates this word with disgust. While the word definition makes no mention of the disgust, if a large number of people think it has a different meaning, then I can't use it. I definitely don't want people to think the action of crying is disgusting. This paper investigated the feeling of disgust people have towards the word 'moist' specifically.
              – Nathan
              10 hours ago





              You are correct, but I'm not going mark this question an answered because I have recently learned that a large portion of the population now associates this word with disgust. While the word definition makes no mention of the disgust, if a large number of people think it has a different meaning, then I can't use it. I definitely don't want people to think the action of crying is disgusting. This paper investigated the feeling of disgust people have towards the word 'moist' specifically.
              – Nathan
              10 hours ago





              1




              1




              @Nathan just because you've heard that some people don't like the sound of this word doesn't mean much. It is a very common word that lots of people have no problem with at all. I don't think 'moist' is appropriate here, but it is a perfectly acceptable word in general.
              – Mitch
              7 hours ago




              @Nathan just because you've heard that some people don't like the sound of this word doesn't mean much. It is a very common word that lots of people have no problem with at all. I don't think 'moist' is appropriate here, but it is a perfectly acceptable word in general.
              – Mitch
              7 hours ago












              @Mitch My goal when writing is to convey information with text, so what people think a word means is more important than its dictionary definition. According to that paper, 10-20% of people find 'moist' to mean 'wet and disgusting'. Yes, 10-20% is in the minority, but it's a substantial amount. Whereas other words suggested here have close to 0% of people thinking they mean 'disgusting'. My hesitance to use the word 'moist' is justified considering that one out of every five people will misunderstand what I'm trying to tell them.
              – Nathan
              7 hours ago




              @Mitch My goal when writing is to convey information with text, so what people think a word means is more important than its dictionary definition. According to that paper, 10-20% of people find 'moist' to mean 'wet and disgusting'. Yes, 10-20% is in the minority, but it's a substantial amount. Whereas other words suggested here have close to 0% of people thinking they mean 'disgusting'. My hesitance to use the word 'moist' is justified considering that one out of every five people will misunderstand what I'm trying to tell them.
              – Nathan
              7 hours ago












              @Mitch If it was in the context of a legal document or formal report, then I would happily use 'moist'. In those settings people take definitions more seriously.
              – Nathan
              7 hours ago




              @Mitch If it was in the context of a legal document or formal report, then I would happily use 'moist'. In those settings people take definitions more seriously.
              – Nathan
              7 hours ago




              1




              1




              +1 I would personally prefer watery first and moist second. I see nothing with with either, and think that avoiding them because of a misperception isn't the right approach.
              – Jason Bassford
              1 hour ago




              +1 I would personally prefer watery first and moist second. I see nothing with with either, and think that avoiding them because of a misperception isn't the right approach.
              – Jason Bassford
              1 hour ago










              up vote
              4
              down vote













              Misty Eyes
              Definition of misty-eyed
              1 : having tearful eyes



              https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misty-eyed






              share|improve this answer
























                up vote
                4
                down vote













                Misty Eyes
                Definition of misty-eyed
                1 : having tearful eyes



                https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misty-eyed






                share|improve this answer






















                  up vote
                  4
                  down vote










                  up vote
                  4
                  down vote









                  Misty Eyes
                  Definition of misty-eyed
                  1 : having tearful eyes



                  https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misty-eyed






                  share|improve this answer












                  Misty Eyes
                  Definition of misty-eyed
                  1 : having tearful eyes



                  https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misty-eyed







                  share|improve this answer












                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer










                  answered 10 hours ago









                  Uhtred Ragnarsson

                  37215




                  37215




















                      up vote
                      3
                      down vote













                      You could use "glisten" in this context (although you might want to reconstruct the sentence in that case), something like:




                      My eyes glisten as I hold back my tears







                      share|improve this answer








                      New contributor




                      microenzo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.

















                      • Lots of great answers here, but I'm only allowed to check one. Thank you everyone for your help. All the answers are very useful.
                        – Nathan
                        7 hours ago














                      up vote
                      3
                      down vote













                      You could use "glisten" in this context (although you might want to reconstruct the sentence in that case), something like:




                      My eyes glisten as I hold back my tears







                      share|improve this answer








                      New contributor




                      microenzo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.

















                      • Lots of great answers here, but I'm only allowed to check one. Thank you everyone for your help. All the answers are very useful.
                        – Nathan
                        7 hours ago












                      up vote
                      3
                      down vote










                      up vote
                      3
                      down vote









                      You could use "glisten" in this context (although you might want to reconstruct the sentence in that case), something like:




                      My eyes glisten as I hold back my tears







                      share|improve this answer








                      New contributor




                      microenzo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.









                      You could use "glisten" in this context (although you might want to reconstruct the sentence in that case), something like:




                      My eyes glisten as I hold back my tears








                      share|improve this answer








                      New contributor




                      microenzo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.









                      share|improve this answer



                      share|improve this answer






                      New contributor




                      microenzo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.









                      answered 8 hours ago









                      microenzo

                      672




                      672




                      New contributor




                      microenzo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.





                      New contributor





                      microenzo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.






                      microenzo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.











                      • Lots of great answers here, but I'm only allowed to check one. Thank you everyone for your help. All the answers are very useful.
                        – Nathan
                        7 hours ago
















                      • Lots of great answers here, but I'm only allowed to check one. Thank you everyone for your help. All the answers are very useful.
                        – Nathan
                        7 hours ago















                      Lots of great answers here, but I'm only allowed to check one. Thank you everyone for your help. All the answers are very useful.
                      – Nathan
                      7 hours ago




                      Lots of great answers here, but I'm only allowed to check one. Thank you everyone for your help. All the answers are very useful.
                      – Nathan
                      7 hours ago










                      Nathan is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.









                       

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                      Nathan is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.












                      Nathan is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.











                      Nathan is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.













                       


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