Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

tenderfoot

play
noun ten·der·foot \ˈten-dər-ˌfu̇t\

Definition of tenderfoot

plural

tenderfeet

play \-ˌfēt\ also

tenderfoots

play \-ˌfu̇ts\

  1. 1 :  an inexperienced beginner :  novice a political tenderfoot

  2. 2 :  a newcomer in a comparatively rough or newly settled region; especially :  one not hardened to frontier or outdoor life

See tenderfoot defined for English-language learners

See tenderfoot defined for kids

Explore M-W

istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz
alt-5949565fc7d94
'Negging' Moves Beyond The Bar
image599301899
Pretty in 'Pink'
supreme-court-at-dusk
Trending: SCOTUS: 'Bona Fide' relationships

Examples of tenderfoot in a Sentence

  1. skateboarders who are tenderfeet will inevitably fall as they learn their first moves

First Known Use of tenderfoot

1849

tenderfoot Synonyms

Synonyms
abecedarian, apprentice, babe, colt, cub, fledgling, freshman, greenhorn, neophyte, newbie, newcomer, novice, novitiate, punk, recruit, rook, rookie, beginner, tyro, virgin
Antonyms
old hand, old-timer, vet, veteran
Related Words
boot; amateur, dabbler, dilettante; learner, student, trainee; candidate, entrant, probationer
Near Antonyms
expert, master, pro, professional

TENDERFOOT Defined for English Language Learners

tenderfoot

play
noun

Definition of tenderfoot for English Language Learners

  • : someone who has just started doing something

  • : a person who is not used to living in rough conditions or outdoors

Learn More about tenderfoot

  1. See words that rhyme with tenderfoot Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for tenderfoot

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up tenderfoot? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

tristful

play

sad or melancholy

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. bona fide Made in good faith

  2. surrogate mother From TMZ to the dictionary.

  3. zealot A fanatical partisan

  4. stonewall to be uncooperative, obstructive, or evasive

  5. scurrilous Containing obscenities, abuse, or slander

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

tenderfoot

WORD GAMES

Take a 3-minute break and test your skills!

  • istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
  • Which is a synonym of garner?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Bee Cubed

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-5949565fc7d94
'Negging' Moves Beyond The Bar

Not just for pick-up artists anymore

alt-5947fc40f1b5c
In Tech, What Does 'K' Mean?

A buzzword with a long history.

alt-5951697e1a410
When To Use 'Specious' vs. 'Spurious'

These similar words are not interchangeable

alt-594bf2ec5f26e
Quick: Read This!

'Quick' once had a very different meaning

Ask the Editors

decimate-video
Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?

Language changes

serial-comma
The Serial Comma

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

Summer's first WOTD quiz.

Take the quiz
alt-5941ad7527c3c
Yearbook Superlatives Quiz

Is that your picture under "Largest Vocabulary"?

Take the quiz
Spell It
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz
Bee Cubed
Bee Cubed

Listen to the words and spell through all three levels.

Play the game
Examples: tenderfoot in a Sentence