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

Instead, the music can provide somewhere to put those feelings, a place where sadness, anger, desire, tenderness and joy can coexist without needing to be immediately resolved. — Jason Phillips, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2026

The result is a book that, despite the searing and brutal honesty of its details, never becomes fully untethered from basic human tenderness. — Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026

Save those cuts for the grill, oven, or skillet and use the slow cooker on more affordable, tougher cuts that need time to melt into tenderness. — Anne Wolf, Martha Stewart, 6 Sep. 2026

Ricotta and baking powder deliver tenderness and lift, as with some Central and Eastern European pastry doughs. — Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 Aug. 2026