tenderness
noun
ten·der·ness
ˈten-dər-nəs 
: a tender quality or condition: such as
a
: gentleness and affection
His voice quavered with tenderness.—
Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates
b
: the quality of being succulent and easily chewed
How you carve the meat enhances the tenderness and juiciness of each portion.—Kemp Minifie
Kemp Minifie
c
: sensitivity to touch or palpation
They found a small increased risk of reactions such as redness, swelling, and/or tenderness at the injection site …—The Journal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical AssociationExamples of tenderness in a Sentence
volunteers at the shelter tended to all the animals in their care with great tenderness
Recent Examples on the Web
When life events call for satisfying comfort food, try our Eggplant Parmesan to evoke warmth and tenderness.
—Bethany Thayer, Freep.com, 6 Sep. 2025
The lives of the two children in the story, aged fourteen and four, are portrayed as being as fleeting as the fireflies, and the story is an unsentimental and unflinching account with moments of both tenderness and heartlessness.
—Ginny Tapley Takemori
september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
His awkward body language and soft gaze exhibit a boyish tenderness, clouded only by the erratic outbursts of his condition.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 31 Aug. 2025
Filled with action and adrenaline, the film stays at a fever pitch for most of its duration, only taking brief breaks to showcase the tenderness of the relationship between Riley (Devery Jacobs) and Amanda (Kudakwashe Rutendo).
—Quispe López, Them., 29 Aug. 2025
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Bethany Thayer, Freep.com, 6 Sep. 2025
The lives of the two children in the story, aged fourteen and four, are portrayed as being as fleeting as the fireflies, and the story is an unsentimental and unflinching account with moments of both tenderness and heartlessness.
—Ginny Tapley Takemori
september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
His awkward body language and soft gaze exhibit a boyish tenderness, clouded only by the erratic outbursts of his condition.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 31 Aug. 2025
Filled with action and adrenaline, the film stays at a fever pitch for most of its duration, only taking brief breaks to showcase the tenderness of the relationship between Riley (Devery Jacobs) and Amanda (Kudakwashe Rutendo).
—Quispe López, Them., 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tenderness
Cite this Entry
“Tenderness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tenderness. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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