as in novice
a person who is just starting out in a field of activity
skateboarders who are tenderfeet will inevitably fall as they learn their first moves
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of tenderfoot
Smit-McPhee plays a hapless Scottish tenderfoot who teams with Fassbender's conflicted bounty hunter to track down his true love in the American West.
—
and Kevin Jacobsen, EW.com, 21 June 2024
The tenderfoot Americans, with six rookies, eight guys yet to reach 30, and minimal scar tissue, won three of four foursomes in the morning to get to 9-3 and two of four fourball rounds in the afternoon to reach 11-5.
—BostonGlobe.com, 25 Sep. 2021
Once upon a time, the members of a whitetail deer hunting club in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula invited a tenderfoot to their camp.
—The Editors, Field & Stream, 11 Oct. 2020
But even a tenderfoot can easily corral yeast and put it to use, because yeast is everywhere.
—Henry Fountain, New York Times, 7 May 2020
Lazaria Spearman School: Dacula High Class: 2022 Position: Forward
College: Undecided
Noteworthy: The 6-foot-2 tenderfoot averaged 17 points and 14 rebounds per game to help the Falcons to a 26-4 record.
—USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2020
But like a tenderfoot scout who confidently builds a campfire only to end up burning down the forest, Kalanick’s loose management — of his staff and himself — paved the way for a cascade of embarrassing scandals by 2014.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2019
The film stars Robert Pattinson as Samuel Alabaster, a foppishly dressed tenderfoot who shows up on the Oregon territory with miniature horse named Butterscotch, looking to hire a preacher (David Zellner) for a wedding.
—Gary Thompson, Philly.com, 27 June 2018
and Kevin Jacobsen, EW.com, 21 June 2024
The tenderfoot Americans, with six rookies, eight guys yet to reach 30, and minimal scar tissue, won three of four foursomes in the morning to get to 9-3 and two of four fourball rounds in the afternoon to reach 11-5.
—BostonGlobe.com, 25 Sep. 2021
Once upon a time, the members of a whitetail deer hunting club in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula invited a tenderfoot to their camp.
—The Editors, Field & Stream, 11 Oct. 2020
But even a tenderfoot can easily corral yeast and put it to use, because yeast is everywhere.
—Henry Fountain, New York Times, 7 May 2020
Lazaria Spearman School: Dacula High Class: 2022 Position: Forward
College: Undecided
Noteworthy: The 6-foot-2 tenderfoot averaged 17 points and 14 rebounds per game to help the Falcons to a 26-4 record.
—USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2020
But like a tenderfoot scout who confidently builds a campfire only to end up burning down the forest, Kalanick’s loose management — of his staff and himself — paved the way for a cascade of embarrassing scandals by 2014.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2019
The film stars Robert Pattinson as Samuel Alabaster, a foppishly dressed tenderfoot who shows up on the Oregon territory with miniature horse named Butterscotch, looking to hire a preacher (David Zellner) for a wedding.
—Gary Thompson, Philly.com, 27 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tenderfoot
Noun
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In reality, there is something there for the novice wine lover as well as the most experienced and discerning collector.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
19 Mar. 2026
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For seasoned cooks and kitchen novices, cookbook author and nutritionist Robin Miller takes it back to basics with great, family-friendly recipes worth making over and over again.—
Robin Miller,
AZCentral.com,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Galloway developed the approach in 1974 while teaching a beginner running class at his Phidippides store, according to his website.—
Avery Newmark,
AJC.com,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Then be sure to check out our collection of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography, along with our beginners guide to capturing the glowing band of the Milky Way with a DSLR camera.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Musing about unintended consequences, Oosterhoff mentioned the myth of Pandora’s box and Goethe’s tale of the sorcerer’s apprentice.—
Charles Lane,
The Atlantic,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Back then, Srinivas noted, a computer was the name for an astronomer’s apprentice; the underling tasked with doing the calculations to support the boss’ celestial theories.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Last season, there were six newcomers.—
Doug Feinberg,
Twin Cities,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Iliopoulos demonstrates once again how the unwillingness of political authorities to respect an international treaty transforms both the native population and the newcomers into hostages of a sinister and clumsy social engineering project.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
New York's Matthew Schaefer picked up an assist to move within one point of becoming the fourth rookie defenseman in franchise history to reach 50 in a season.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Mar. 2026
-
The other available center options on the Heat’s roster besides Ware and Johnson were fourth-year forward Nikola Jovic and undrafted two-way contract rookie center Vlad Goldin.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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At the time he was detained, Contreras was a freshman at Ellis Preparatory Academy in Marble Hill, a school that caters to older newcomers who want to continue studying and go to college.—
Lisa Rozner,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
-
With a lot of pressure on A&M to perform after a down year in 2025, relying on a true freshman at a critical position is definitely a gamble.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tenderfoot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tenderfoot. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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