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The meaning behind the emoji

Meaning of Face holding back tears

This face can show being moved, grateful, or happily emotional, and it can also appear in sad situations. The accompanying sentence helps distinguish joyful emotion from hurt rather than treating watery eyes as a fixed sign of sadness.

🥹face holding back tears

How is it used in conversation?

For gratitude, try “It means a lot that you remembered 🥹”. It can also add a touched feeling to good news. If you are asking for support, explain what you need instead of expecting the other person to infer everything from one face.

These are examples of use, not a reliable diagnosis of the sender’s feelings.

Examples you can copy

It means a lot that you remembered 🥹

I did not expect that kindness 🥹

Thank you from the heart 🥹

Read the whole message: meaning depends on surrounding words, relationships, culture and the app being used.

Technical details

English label
face holding back tears
Code points
U+1F979
Emoji version
14.0

This emoji is text, not a fixed image. Color and detail vary by device and font, and an unsupported sequence may display as separate characters.

About this page

Explanations and examples are original NiceEmojis editorial content. Names and encoding data come from Unicode and CLDR. See sources and licenses.

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