Synonyms of tenderness

tenderness

noun

ˈten-dər-nəs 

as in kindness

sympathetic concern for the well-being of others

volunteers at the shelter tended to all the animals in their care with great tenderness

Synonyms & Similar Words

• kindness
• warmth
• humaneness
• tenderheartedness
• kindliness
• benignity
• attentiveness
• generosity
• beneficence
• benevolence
• kindheartedness
• thoughtfulness
• warmheartedness
• good-heartedness
• benignancy
• patience
• considerateness
• friendliness
• mercifulness
• compassionateness
• softheartedness
• affability
• pleasantness
• understanding
• tolerance
• graciousness
• leniency
• niceness
• clemency
• charitableness
• magnanimity
• unselfishness
• altruism
• good-naturedness
• good-temperedness
• philanthropy
• charity
• greatheartedness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• cruelty
• brutality
• savagery
• inhumanity
• callousness
• barbarity
• heartlessness
• savageness
• brutishness
• unkindness
• ruthlessness
• bestiality
• mercilessness
• severity
• toughness
• insensitivity
• sternness
• hard-heartedness
• cold-bloodedness
• thoughtlessness
• inconsiderateness
• harshness
• barbarousness
• pitilessness
• grimness
• unkindliness
• unfeelingness
• meanness
• virulence
• malevolence
• spitefulness
• hatefulness
• maliciousness
• vitriol

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tenderness

Dupuy-Spencer had a reputation for clear-eyed renderings of both the tenderness and the brutality of our world; here, darker forces prevail. — Dan Stahl, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026

On my first listen to Nirosta Steel, I was so affected by the tenderness of the music and his voice. — Jack Denton, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026

In Sense and Sensibility, Nordrum plays Colonel Brandon with heart-wrenching tenderness. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026

And 1014 Gallery’s show of Vincent Wechselberger’s handprints, documenting the hedonism and tenderness that have colored a decade of the photographer’s life in Berlin, is reason enough for a Dalston detour. — Mahoro Seward, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2026