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

• kindness

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

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

The symptoms include abdominal pain, contractions, uterine tenderness, back pain, and vaginal bleeding. —Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Aug. 2025

But there’s a real tenderness and beauty in the kiss between Whoopi Goldberg and Margaret Avery, and there is a genuine feeling of kind of non-normative love in that film. —Michael Schaub, Oc Register, 22 Aug. 2025

Otherwise, there is some redness, tenderness and mild itching. —Hedy Phillips, People.com, 19 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tenderness

• slenderness