as in novice
a person who is just starting out in a field of activity
skateboarders who are tenderfeet will inevitably fall as they learn their first moves
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of tenderfoot
Smit-McPhee plays a hapless Scottish tenderfoot who teams with Fassbender's conflicted bounty hunter to track down his true love in the American West.
—
and Kevin Jacobsen, EW.com, 21 June 2024
The tenderfoot Americans, with six rookies, eight guys yet to reach 30, and minimal scar tissue, won three of four foursomes in the morning to get to 9-3 and two of four fourball rounds in the afternoon to reach 11-5.
—BostonGlobe.com, 25 Sep. 2021
Once upon a time, the members of a whitetail deer hunting club in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula invited a tenderfoot to their camp.
—The Editors, Field & Stream, 11 Oct. 2020
But even a tenderfoot can easily corral yeast and put it to use, because yeast is everywhere.
—Henry Fountain, New York Times, 7 May 2020
Lazaria Spearman School: Dacula High Class: 2022 Position: Forward
College: Undecided
Noteworthy: The 6-foot-2 tenderfoot averaged 17 points and 14 rebounds per game to help the Falcons to a 26-4 record.
—USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2020
But like a tenderfoot scout who confidently builds a campfire only to end up burning down the forest, Kalanick’s loose management — of his staff and himself — paved the way for a cascade of embarrassing scandals by 2014.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2019
The film stars Robert Pattinson as Samuel Alabaster, a foppishly dressed tenderfoot who shows up on the Oregon territory with miniature horse named Butterscotch, looking to hire a preacher (David Zellner) for a wedding.
—Gary Thompson, Philly.com, 27 June 2018
and Kevin Jacobsen, EW.com, 21 June 2024
The tenderfoot Americans, with six rookies, eight guys yet to reach 30, and minimal scar tissue, won three of four foursomes in the morning to get to 9-3 and two of four fourball rounds in the afternoon to reach 11-5.
—BostonGlobe.com, 25 Sep. 2021
Once upon a time, the members of a whitetail deer hunting club in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula invited a tenderfoot to their camp.
—The Editors, Field & Stream, 11 Oct. 2020
But even a tenderfoot can easily corral yeast and put it to use, because yeast is everywhere.
—Henry Fountain, New York Times, 7 May 2020
Lazaria Spearman School: Dacula High Class: 2022 Position: Forward
College: Undecided
Noteworthy: The 6-foot-2 tenderfoot averaged 17 points and 14 rebounds per game to help the Falcons to a 26-4 record.
—USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2020
But like a tenderfoot scout who confidently builds a campfire only to end up burning down the forest, Kalanick’s loose management — of his staff and himself — paved the way for a cascade of embarrassing scandals by 2014.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2019
The film stars Robert Pattinson as Samuel Alabaster, a foppishly dressed tenderfoot who shows up on the Oregon territory with miniature horse named Butterscotch, looking to hire a preacher (David Zellner) for a wedding.
—Gary Thompson, Philly.com, 27 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tenderfoot
Noun
-
The doctor will then train a hearing aid novice on how to insert, charge, and clean the aids and go over any lingering paperwork that needs to be dealt with.—
Christopher Null,
Wired News,
19 June 2025
-
June 18, 2025 Another member of the 6 a.m. group, Toni Clapp moved to Fort Lauderdale 12 years ago as a hockey novice.—
Ben Crandell,
Sun Sentinel,
18 June 2025
Noun
-
Pad: Perfect for beginners and artists who enjoy painting plein air, pads of watercolor paper are a convenient, budget-friendly option.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
16 June 2025
-
Texas Hold’em Poker Lessons for Beginners Monday (weekly) from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. This beginner’s class is designed to teach the fundamentals of Texas Hold’em in a fun and engaging environment.—
Kris Slugg,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 June 2025
Noun
-
Born in Paris in 1879, Poiret started his career as an apprentice at fashion houses including Worth and Doucet, setting up his own in 1903.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
20 June 2025
-
President Trump’s goal of 1M apprentices is a good start, but not nearly enough.—
Ryan Craig,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
Noun
-
Meanwhile, newcomers will be played by Jordan Donica, Andrea Martin, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Hattie Morahan, Leslie Uggams, Merritt Wever, Bill Camp and Phylicia Rashad.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
-
And those cryptic commands persist today in some Linux editors, like Vim, a modal text editor where users must switch between different modes for editing versus navigating text, which famously confuses newcomers.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
In addition to the $500,000, Roth and Ramos also received an autographed Daniels jersey, which the 2024 NFL offensive rookie of the year and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner inked on the spot.—
Larry Holder,
New York Times,
22 June 2025
-
Clark's rookie year in 2024 included several controversial incidents in which Clark was roughed up by opposing players.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
22 June 2025
Noun
-
The freshman outfielder also paced the team with 18 steals.—
Adam Lichtenstein,
Sun Sentinel,
20 June 2025
-
Announced during the Final Four of the NCAA men’s basketball Tournament in early April, that ban made headlines regarding then-Duke freshman Khaman Maluach, a native of South Sudan.—
Justin Williams,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tenderfoot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tenderfoot. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share