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

Women suffering from mastitis may also experience breast tenderness and redness, skin changes, fever, or chills. —Melissa Willets, Parents, 13 Nov. 2025

For years, Baba’s silence and authority ruled the household, leaving little room for questions or tenderness. —Leo Barraclough, Variety, 13 Nov. 2025

Daily life — its tenderness, its tensions, its humor — is what guided our gaze, even as the community navigated displacement and the grief following Zouri’s tragic suicide. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 13 Nov. 2025

Washington examines varying experiences of displacement, writing with tenderness about the tolls of emigration and exile, both cultural and familial. —The New Yorker, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tenderness

• slenderness