as in compassionate
having or marked by sympathy and consideration for others
a softhearted person who never hesitates to help anyone in trouble
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
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Recent Examples of softhearted
Jeanie Kasindorf, Vulture, 10 July 2024
Becker shows that proponents of Brexit talked surprisingly little about the past and tried, in fact, to hang nostalgia’s toxic millstone around the necks of Remainers, accusing them of a softhearted attachment to the now sclerotic dream of European unity.
—Thomas Mallon, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2023
Your softhearted grandfather might have given you one of their figurines for Christmas one year, or your sentimental mother-in-law might have decorated her guest bathroom with their wall hangings.
—Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2023
The struggle to save the farm deepens the partnership between Craig, softhearted but realistic, and Jillian, the persistent Jiminy Cricket on his shoulder.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 17 Aug. 2023
Ford received a standing ovation last spring at the Cannes Film Festival, and his gruff but softhearted demeanor works.
—Dan Lybarger, Arkansas Online, 29 June 2023
How to adopt: Interested adopters can meet softhearted Summer at the Arizona Humane Society’s South Mountain location.
—The Republic, The Arizona Republic, 28 Apr. 2023
Mashed potatoes are going on the menu, and Tina, the sharp-tongued, softhearted vegetable cook, has just pulled a sheet pan of whole potatoes from the oven.
—New York Times, 11 July 2022
Chuntao doesn’t want to, but her softhearted husband insists.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2021
Adjective
Katzenberg bought a script called 3,000, a dark story about a softhearted prostitute and a heartless businessman.
—Jeanie Kasindorf, Vulture, 10 July 2024
Becker shows that proponents of Brexit talked surprisingly little about the past and tried, in fact, to hang nostalgia’s toxic millstone around the necks of Remainers, accusing them of a softhearted attachment to the now sclerotic dream of European unity.
—Thomas Mallon, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2023
Your softhearted grandfather might have given you one of their figurines for Christmas one year, or your sentimental mother-in-law might have decorated her guest bathroom with their wall hangings.
—Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2023
The struggle to save the farm deepens the partnership between Craig, softhearted but realistic, and Jillian, the persistent Jiminy Cricket on his shoulder.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 17 Aug. 2023
Ford received a standing ovation last spring at the Cannes Film Festival, and his gruff but softhearted demeanor works.
—Dan Lybarger, Arkansas Online, 29 June 2023
How to adopt: Interested adopters can meet softhearted Summer at the Arizona Humane Society’s South Mountain location.
—The Republic, The Arizona Republic, 28 Apr. 2023
Mashed potatoes are going on the menu, and Tina, the sharp-tongued, softhearted vegetable cook, has just pulled a sheet pan of whole potatoes from the oven.
—New York Times, 11 July 2022
Chuntao doesn’t want to, but her softhearted husband insists.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for softhearted
Adjective
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This can help the development of more conscious leadership and the formation of compassionate teams.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
28 May 2025
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One way to initiate a more intentional approach to developing people-centric leaders is to explore the compassionate leadership toolkit, which includes a free assessment, and consider attending WorkHuman’s next conference for educational and morale purposes.—
Laurel Donnellan,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
Noun
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By Carol McCloud, Illustrated by David Messing Summary: This book explains clearly and simply how everyone has an invisible bucket that can be filled through small acts of kindness or emptied by acts of thoughtlessness or cruelty.—
Esther K. Choy,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2025
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Please advise me how to navigate this tricky territory with respect and kindness.—
Judith Martin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 May 2025
Noun
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The title, in Muslim eschatology, refers to a narrow bridge between Paradise and Hell, which is fitting, insofar as Laxe’s movie is both a nightmarish experience and an exhilarating one—a pitiless ordeal that is nonetheless underpinned by extraordinary love and tenderness.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
26 May 2025
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If there is an archetypal quality to each girl and if this is amplified by the stereotypical nature of their problems, there is enough tenderness in the atmosphere of the shelter to allow each actor to take their foot of the gas and relax into the small and soothing tasks that make up domesticity.—
Sophie Monks Kaufman,
IndieWire,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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Elsewhere, organised crime still has its tendrils in many parts of the sport across the globe, and the misty-eyed reverence for benevolent local tycoons is a notion that went extinct before the Tasmanian tiger.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
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Another new motif was the eye, meant to represent here an omniscient but benevolent entity that accompanies and perpetuates knowledge in an unaltered state.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
27 May 2025
Noun
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Back home, Ramaphosa briefly enjoyed a wave of sympathy for remaining composed during what was the latest ambush of a foreign leader at the Oval Office.—
Sizwe Mpofu Walsh,
Time,
23 May 2025
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Fitting with a broader pattern of Gazans being seen as undeserving of sympathy, our survey found that more than a third of Israelis believe that more than 90% of Palestinians in Gaza support Hamas.—
Carlo Koos,
The Conversation,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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That relationship is built, visit by visit, kind interaction after warm conversation.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
1 June 2025
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Ultimately, however, the union won its contract. 1995: In the largest takeover of its kind, federal housing officials took control of the Chicago Housing Authority four days after its chairman, Vince Lane, and the CHA board resigned under a cloud of mismanagement.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
30 May 2025
Noun
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Pregnant women are at high risk for severe disease and studies show that the likelihood of miscarriage, stillbirth and pregnancy complications like preeclampsia, blood clots, heart and kidney damage and hypertension are much higher among women who develop COVID-19 during pregnancy.—
Karen Weintraub,
USA Today,
29 May 2025
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These young people offer me their time and their hearts on some level.—
Brande Victorian,
HollywoodReporter,
29 May 2025
Adjective
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As the only one with a sense of humor and a semblance of perspective, Jeff is the most sympathetic of this toxic crew.—
Robert Lloyd,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2025
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The Trump administration has framed support for Palestinians — which Khalil’s grandparents were — as antisemitic and sympathetic to Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
29 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Softhearted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/softhearted. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
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