Standard Lemma guide

tenderness

noun · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈtɛn.dɚ.nɪs/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈtɛn.də.nɪs/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: T EH1 N D ER0 N AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Quality, state or condition of being tender.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • He picked her up in his arms with great tenderness.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • When the lovers were together, their cold indifference gave way to love and tenderness.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A concern for the feelings or welfare of others.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • When they saw the poor orphans, they were overwhelmed with tenderness for them.
  • Everybody needs a little tenderness sometimes.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A pain or discomfort when an affected area is touched.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: medicine, pathology, sciences

Examples

  • He noted her extreme tenderness when he touched the bruise on her thigh.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a tendency to express warm and affectionate feeling

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: affectionateness, fondness, lovingness, warmth

6

noun

Meaning 6

a feeling of concern for the welfare of someone (especially someone defenseless)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: softheartedness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: concern

7

noun

Meaning 7

a positive feeling of liking

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he had trouble expressing the affection he felt
  • the child won everyone's heart
  • the warmness of his welcome made us feel right at home

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: affection, affectionateness, fondness, heart, warmness, warmheartedness, philia

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: feeling

Narrower terms: attachment, fond regard, protectiveness, regard, respect, soft spot

8

noun

Meaning 8

warm compassionate feelings

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tenderheartedness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: compassion, compassionateness

9

noun

Meaning 9

a pain that is felt (as when the area is touched)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the best results are generally obtained by inserting the needle into the point of maximum tenderness
  • after taking a cold, rawness of the larynx and trachea come on

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: soreness, rawness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: pain, hurting

Narrower terms: chafing, rebound tenderness, chafe

History

Etymology

From tender + -ness.

Across languages

Translations

49 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: حنان (ḥanān) — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Arabic: حنية (ḥiniyya) — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Bulgarian: нежност (nežnost) — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Bulgarian: грижовност (grižovnost) — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Catalan: tendresa — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Esperanto: tenero — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Estonian: õrnus — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Finnish: lempeys — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • French: tendresse — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Galician: tenrura — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • German: Zärtlichkeit — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Hindi: सौम्यता (saumyatā) — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Hindi: कोमलता (komaltā) — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Irish: armacas — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Italian: tenerezza — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Japanese: 優しさ (yasashisa) — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Japanese: 優しみ (yasashimi) — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Luxembourgish: Zäertlechkeet — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Polish: czułość — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Portuguese: ternura — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Romanian: tandrețe — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Russian: не́жность (néžnostʹ) — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Slovak: nežnosť — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Slovak: neha — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Spanish: ternura — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Spanish: terneza — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Swedish: ömhet — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Ottoman Turkish: محبت (muhabbet) — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Ukrainian: ні́жність (nížnistʹ) — a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings
  • Bulgarian: състрадание (sǎstradanie) — concern for the feelings or welfare of others
  • Esperanto: tenerecoj — concern for the feelings or welfare of others
  • Finnish: lempeys — concern for the feelings or welfare of others
  • Romanian: grijă — concern for the feelings or welfare of others
  • Romanian: prudență — concern for the feelings or welfare of others
  • Russian: забо́тливость (zabótlivostʹ) — concern for the feelings or welfare of others
  • Russian: чу́ткость (čútkostʹ) — concern for the feelings or welfare of others
  • Swedish: ömhet — concern for the feelings or welfare of others
  • Ukrainian: турбо́тливість (turbótlyvistʹ) — concern for the feelings or welfare of others
  • Ukrainian: деліка́тність (delikátnistʹ) — concern for the feelings or welfare of others
  • Bulgarian: чувстви́телност (čuvstvítelnost) — pain or discomfort when an affected area is touched
  • Dutch: gevoeligheid — pain or discomfort when an affected area is touched
  • Finnish: arkuus — pain or discomfort when an affected area is touched
  • Romanian: sensibilitate — pain or discomfort when an affected area is touched
  • Russian: чувстви́тельность (čuvstvítelʹnostʹ) — pain or discomfort when an affected area is touched
  • Swedish: ömhet — pain or discomfort when an affected area is touched
  • Ukrainian: чутли́вість (čutlývistʹ) — pain or discomfort when an affected area is touched
  • Bulgarian: мекота (mekota) — softness of food when chewing
  • French: tendreté — softness of food when chewing
  • Māori: ngaoretanga — softness of food when chewing
Real reading context

tenderness in complete knowledge articles

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