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 of tenderness

• 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

Beneath it all, though, there was a tenderness to Carney’s character, and to Ed’s friendship with Ralph. — Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 9 Aug. 2026

But there is a real tenderness that’s thrown into the mix with the lewd banter and glass-half-empty outlook. — Alison Herman, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026

Side effects included injection-site reactions such as pain, tenderness and swollen lymph nodes; fatigue; headache; muscle or joint pain; nausea or vomiting; and fever. — Elise Haulund, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026

What reads at a casual distance as serene maternal tenderness shifts, on closer inspection, into something more ambivalent—a shade of melancholy that surfaces only when the eye lingers on Mary’s face. — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tenderness

• slenderness