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

b

: the quality of being succulent and easily chewed

How you carve the meat enhances the tenderness and juiciness of each portion.

—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

Synonyms

• beneficence
• benevolence
• benignancy
• benignity
• compassionateness
• good-heartedness
• humaneness
• kindheartedness
• kindliness
• kindness
• softheartedness
• tenderheartedness
• warmheartedness

Examples 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

Other parts of the diagnostic workup for chest pain include taking vital signs (temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate) and performing a physical exam to check for abnormal heart and breath sounds, chest wall tenderness, or a skin rash. —Colleen Doherty, Verywell Health, 11 July 2024

This tenderness will eventually dwindle as the injury heals. —Cristina Mutchler, Health, 10 July 2024

The actors who play Deadpool and Wolverine are two men who aren’t afraid to be friends, go to concerts, and talk about the tenderness of their relationship. —Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 21 June 2024

Stripping away all artifice, RuPaul recounts the story of his life with breathtaking clarity and tenderness, bringing his signature wisdom and wit to his own biography. —Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 17 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above