tenderness

noun

ten·​der·​ness ˈten-dər-nəs 

: a tender quality or condition: such as

a

: gentleness and affection

His voice quavered with tenderness.

—Joyce Carol Oates

b

: the quality of being succulent and easily chewed

How you carve the meat enhances the tenderness and juiciness of each portion.

—Kemp Minifie

c

: sensitivity to touch or palpation

They found a small increased risk of reactions such as redness, swelling, and/or tenderness at the injection site …

—The Journal of the American Medical Association

Synonyms

• beneficence
• benevolence
• benignancy
• benignity
• compassionateness
• good-heartedness
• humaneness
• kindheartedness
• kindliness
• kindness
• softheartedness
• tenderheartedness
• warmheartedness

Examples of tenderness in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

The amount and identity of natural lipids – fats and oils – found within a specific muscle tissue can influence the protein structure and, therefore, the flavor, tenderness, and juiciness of the meat. —Discover Magazine, 28 Nov. 2024

While larger turkeys are more economical per pound, smaller birds offer benefits like greater tenderness, even cooking and shorter thawing and cooking times. —Jovi Dai, The Mercury News, 27 Nov. 2024

Lipton Bot is unhurried and as soothing as chamomile, with a hint of basset hound around the eyebrows and an attentive tenderness that, impressively, never slips cheaply toward the sinister. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2024

But the power of this production arises, in particular, from stars Carolee Carmelo and Miguel Gil, who find a tenderness of attachment between them that defies stereotypes. —Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above