Stare wildly at signs of sadness (5)
I believe the answer is:
tears
'signs of sadness' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'stare wildly' is the wordplay.
'wildly' is an anagram indicator.
'stare' with letters rearranged gives 'TEARS'.
'at' is the link.
(Other definitions for tears that I've seen before include "exuding drops" , "Rends" , "Shed them and cry" , "Rips; drops" , "Show of emotion" .)