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
And that was really nice – between dominance and tenderness and understanding towards the girls.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 9 May 2026
The pale, buttery sweet bread has an elastic bite on the outside that gives way to a plush, milky tenderness inside.
—Restaurant Critic, Houston Chronicle, 6 May 2026
That particular brand of toughness that comes wrapped in tenderness.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
But, even if Church’s propensity to recruit nature for heavy-handed symbolism can seem too much today, something about his work—some combination of thrilling ambition, tact tethered to empiricism, and loving tenderness—continues to magnetize our spectacle-jaded eyes.
—Sebastian Smee, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tenderness
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Leo Barraclough, Variety, 9 May 2026
The pale, buttery sweet bread has an elastic bite on the outside that gives way to a plush, milky tenderness inside.
—Restaurant Critic, Houston Chronicle, 6 May 2026
That particular brand of toughness that comes wrapped in tenderness.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
But, even if Church’s propensity to recruit nature for heavy-handed symbolism can seem too much today, something about his work—some combination of thrilling ambition, tact tethered to empiricism, and loving tenderness—continues to magnetize our spectacle-jaded eyes.
—Sebastian Smee, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tenderness
Cite this Entry
“Tenderness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tenderness. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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