Synonyms of tender

tender 1 of 3

adjective

ˈten-dər 

1

as in sensitive

easily injured without careful handling

a tender wound

tender plants that cannot take the cold

tender pride that got bruised when his girlfriend dumped him

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sensitive
• fragile
• delicate
• frail
• weak
• vulnerable
• soft
• brittle
• friable
• feeble
• breakable
• tenuous
• susceptible
• slight
• puny
• flimsy
• perishable
• frangible
• yielding
• crushable
• eggshell
• nonhardy
• unresistant
• resistless

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• tough
• strong
• substantial
• firm
• hard
• solid
• sound
• robust
• hardy
• resistant
• durable
• stiff
• sturdy
• rugged
• stout
• flinty
• hardened
• unbreakable
• tempered
• strengthened
• infrangible
• nonbreakable
• toughened
• inured

2

as in affectionate

feeling or showing love

a tender embrace between father and daughter

Synonyms & Similar Words

• affectionate
• loving
• adoring
• warm
• passionate
• devoted
• fond
• tenderhearted
• compassionate
• caring
• kind
• impassioned
• humane
• fervent
• friendly
• considerate
• forgiving
• romantic
• erotic
• warmhearted
• doting
• amorous
• understanding
• sentimental
• cordial
• ardent
• amatory
• mushy
• motherly
• fatherly
• brotherly
• infatuated
• lovesick
• sappy
• sisterly
• enamored
• lovey-dovey

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dry
• distant
• indifferent
• aloof
• detached
• remote
• reserved
• cool
• unloving
• pitiless
• frosty
• unbending
• unfeeling
• offish
• standoffish
• uncaring
• antisocial
• cold
• unconcerned
• uninvolved
• disaffected
• hard-hearted
• callous
• frigid
• ruthless
• unfriendly
• unsentimental
• heartless
• cold-eyed
• unromantic
• soulless
• cold-blooded
• hard-boiled

3

as in compassionate

having or marked by sympathy and consideration for others

an especially tender teacher who loves having kids with special educational needs in her class

Synonyms & Similar Words

• compassionate
• kind
• benevolent
• gentle
• sympathetic
• thoughtful
• humane
• kindly
• sweet
• gracious
• nice
• friendly
• generous
• kindhearted
• merciful
• beneficent
• benignant
• good
• tenderhearted
• warmhearted
• pleasant
• attentive
• warm
• good-hearted
• softhearted
• patient
• soft
• humanitarian
• mild
• considerate
• solicitous
• good-natured
• benign
• cordial
• companionable
• forbearing
• affable
• pitying
• comradely
• forgiving
• genial
• amicable
• noble
• neighborly
• lenient
• charitable
• tolerant
• brotherly
• magnanimous
• good-tempered
• liberal
• unselfish
• understanding
• selfless
• unsparing
• philanthropic
• munificent
• altruistic
• openhearted
• clement
• greathearted
• freehanded
• anticruelty
• cruelty-free

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• cruel
• savage
• brutal
• callous
• vicious
• unkind
• heartless
• sadistic
• truculent
• unfeeling
• unsympathetic
• inhuman
• barbarous
• brute
• ruthless
• bestial
• barbaric
• insensate
• brutish
• merciless
• fiendish
• inhumane
• pitiless
• atrocious
• severe
• tough
• stern
• insensitive
• thoughtless
• hard-hearted
• harsh
• wanton
• unthinking
• cold-blooded
• grim
• unsentimental
• uncaring
• uncompassionate
• inconsiderate
• unkindly
• malignant
• malicious
• mean
• spiteful
• virulent
• hateful
• malevolent
• ironhearted
• stonyhearted
• nasty
• malign
• uncharitable
• heavy-handed
• hard-boiled
• antihumanitarian

4

as in weak

lacking bodily strength

a very tender child who always seems to be sick

Synonyms & Similar Words

• weak
• frail
• feeble
• weakened
• soft
• faint
• softened
• disabled
• delicate
• languid
• slight
• vulnerable
• infirm
• asthenic
• wimpy
• low
• tired
• unsubstantial
• injured
• debilitated
• enfeebled
• paralyzed
• prostrate
• fragile
• wasted
• exhausted
• effete
• incapacitated
• down-and-out
• weary
• wimpish
• enervated
• prostrated
• sapped
• drained
• invalid
• unsteady
• powerless
• susceptible
• damaged
• impotent
• decrepit
• hurt
• rocky
• breakable
• flimsy
• impaired
• woozy
• dizzy
• yielding
• groggy
• broken-down
• flagging
• unsound
• resistless
• unresistant
• worn-out
• harmed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• strong
• powerful
• mighty
• muscular
• rugged
• sinewy
• stout
• athletic
• virile
• hard
• husky
• tough
• beefy
• stalwart
• robust
• hardy
• sturdy
• brawny
• lusty
• fit
• vigorous
• hardened
• able-bodied
• energetic
• healthy
• capable
• sound
• strengthened
• competent
• fortified
• strapping
• hale
• energized
• red-blooded
• toughened
• inured
• recovering
• vitalized
• invigorated
• convalescing
• recuperating

5

as in gentle

not harsh or stern especially in nature or effect

his tender comments on how to improve her writing style were gratefully received

Synonyms & Similar Words

• gentle
• soothing
• soft
• mellow
• mild
• delicate
• light
• benign
• bland
• smooth
• quiet
• balmy
• serene
• calm
• compassionate
• peaceful
• easy
• tranquil
• merciful
• placid
• nonabrasive
• softening
• lenient
• pacific
• sleek
• slick
• clement
• emollient
• cushioning
• buffering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hard
• intense
• powerful
• rough
• stern
• coarse
• severe
• harsh
• caustic
• exquisite
• scathing
• fierce
• abrasive
• strong
• forceful
• violent
• savage
• ungentle
• forcible
• rugged
• stiff
• gruff
• irritating
• roughened
• grim
• rude
• pitiless
• oppressive
• tyrannical
• roughening
• abrading
• heavy-handed

tender

2 of 3

noun

as in cash

something (as pieces of stamped metal or printed paper) customarily and legally used as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment

money from that board game is not legal tender and can't be exchanged for goods or services

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cash
• money
• coin
• currency
• bucks
• dough
• gold
• needful
• funds
• legal tender
• chips
• green
• cabbage
• change
• kale
• scratch
• long green
• lolly
• lucre
• coinage
• pelf
• bread
• wampum
• loot
• shekels
• dollar
• moola
• wallet
• money order
• resources
• paper money
• specie
• jack
• promissory note
• scrip
• draft
• capital
• finances
• bill
• note
• folding money
• banknote
• mint
• peanuts
• bundle
• means
• pot
• roll
• treasure
• greenback
• pittance
• big bucks
• shoestring
• chump change
• earth
• pile
• dead presidents
• dime
• pin money
• wad
• petty cash
• mad money
• pocket money
• check
• bomb
• riches
• abundance
• mite
• bankroll
• wherewithal
• spending money
• boodle
• dibs
• wealth
• megabucks
• fortune
• packet
• opulence
• king's ransom
• cashier's check

tender

3 of 3

verb

as in to offer

to put before another for acceptance or consideration

the coach tendered his resignation and started a new career as a physical therapist

Synonyms & Similar Words

• offer
• give
• extend
• run by
• proffer
• trot out
• submit
• propose
• pose
• hold out
• volunteer
• give in

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• receive
• take
• accept
• approve
• authorize
• confirm
• clear
• warrant
• ratify
• sanction
• reject
• finalize
• deny
• refuse
• OK
• formalize
• turn down
• decline
• negative
• disallow
• disapprove
• withdraw
• veto
• accredit
• rebut
• approbate
• retract
• homologate
• ignore
• spurn
• disregard
• neglect
• rebuff
• overlook

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tender

Adjective

Seeing these two girl dads tear up about walking their babies down the aisle, the passage of time, and the inviolate personhood of their daughters was tender and precious. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026

This sweet, tender dramedy isn’t exactly what fans (or foes) of Firstman’s earlier work might expect. — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 25 Sep. 2026

Noun

There was also mac and cheese, mini cheeseburgers, chicken tenders, crab cakes, vegetables, salad and more. — Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2026

Seeing Kehlani revert to a giddy teenager was another tender highlight of the night. — Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 27 Sep. 2026

Verb

Skin-On Proteins That crispy, golden chicken skin straight out of the oven—or crunchy cracklin’s clinging to tender pork belly—just can’t happen in a slow cooker. — Anne Wolf, Martha Stewart, 6 Sep. 2026

Chef Alexia Duchêne of Le Chêne in New York City, keeps things classic in her recipe, layering paper-thin slices of potatoes with plenty of butter to create a multilayered potato cake that’s crisp on the outside and tender in the center. — Alexia Duchêne, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Sep. 2026

Phrases Containing tender

• legal tender