softheartedness

noun

1
as in kindness
the capacity for feeling for another's unhappiness or misfortune the kind of softheartedness that makes him an easy target for anyone with a tale of woe

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tenderness
sympathetic concern for the well-being of others the widow's naive softheartedness makes it hard for her to say "no" to charitable appeals

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for softheartedness
  1. kindness
  2. tenderness
  3. sympathy
  4. humaneness
  5. heart
  6. compassion
Noun
  • And where the kindness of others helped make his own remarkable journey here in America and the Fox Valley possible.
    — Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Tristan, teens going to Patriots game Word of their acts of kindness caught the attention of Michael Intoccia, who saw the story on WBZ-TV.
    — Paul Burton, CBS News, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of kindness
Noun
  • Comic portraits, cruel melodrama and humane charity of heartbreaking tenderness explode onto the teeming streets of Victorian London.
    — Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Turning back toward her tour guide, Carina appreciated the tenderness in Isabelle’s voice.
    — Danielle Paquette, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of tenderness
Noun
  • Even as his clobbering drops elicit sympathy for the mixing engineer, their smart deployment captures the catch-and-release catharsis that graduated first-gen Carti scions like Ken Carson and Che to the major leagues.
    — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 12 Nov. 2026
  • In her social media statement, Ozell also expressed her appreciation for the sympathy and support from well-wishers.
    — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2026
Definition of sympathy
Noun
  • Colman superbly nails the seeming contradiction between professional medical detachment and humaneness.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Definition of humaneness
Noun
  • However, certain types of fat play an important role in heart health and may lower blood pressure and stroke risk.
    — Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 13 Nov. 2026
  • The green has stayed ever since, spreading from her hair to her visuals to the cascade of green heart emojis that follow her across social media.
    — Katie Bain, Billboard, 13 Nov. 2026
Definition of heart
Noun
  • When a crisis happens, compassion should already be part of the culture, not a special accommodation.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 12 Nov. 2026
  • Her answers were shaped by compassion and became the basis of my education about the world.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of compassion
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

softheartedly
softheartedness
softies
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Softheartedness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/softheartedness. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of lissome

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All