tenderness

ten·der ¹  (tndr)

adj. ten·der·er, ten·der·est

1.

a. Easily crushed or bruised; fragile: a tender petal.

b. Easily chewed or cut: tender beef.

2. Young and vulnerable: of tender age.

3. Frail; delicate.

4. Sensitive to frost or severe cold; not hardy: tender green shoots.

5.

a. Easily hurt; sensitive: tender skin.

b. Painful; sore: a tender tooth.

6.

a. Considerate and protective; solicitous: a tender mother; his tender concern.

b. Characterized by or expressing gentle emotions; loving: a tender glance; a tender ballad.

c. Given to sympathy or sentimentality; soft: a tender heart.

7. Nautical Likely to heel easily under sail; crank.

tr.v. ten·dered, ten·der·ing, ten·ders

1. To make tender.

2. Archaic To treat with tender regard.

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[Middle English, from Old French tendre, from Latin tener; see ten- in Indo-European roots.]

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tender·ly adv.

tender·ness n.

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ten·der ²  (tndr)

n.

1. A formal offer, as:

a. Law An offer of money or service in payment of an obligation.

b. A written offer to contract goods or services at a specified cost or rate; a bid.

2. Something, especially money, offered in payment.

tr.v. ten·dered, ten·der·ing, ten·ders

To offer formally: tender a letter of resignation. See Synonyms at offer.

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[From French tendre, to offer, from Old French, from Latin tendere, to hold forth, extend; see ten- in Indo-European roots.]

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tender·er n.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	tenderness - a tendency to express warm and affectionate feeling affectionateness, lovingness, fondness, warmth - a quality proceeding from feelings of affection or love
	2.	tenderness - a pain that is felt (as when the area is touched); "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" soreness, rawness chafing - soreness or irritation of the skin caused by friction hurting, pain - a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder; "the patient developed severe pain and distension" rebound tenderness - pain felt when a hand pressing on the abdomen is suddenly released; a symptom of peritoneal inflammation chafe - soreness and warmth caused by friction; "he had a nasty chafe on his knee"
	3.	tenderness - warm compassionate feelings tenderheartedness compassion, compassionateness - a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering
	4.	tenderness - a positive feeling of liking; "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" affection, affectionateness, philia, warmness, warmheartedness, fondness, heart feeling - the experiencing of affective and emotional states; "she had a feeling of euphoria"; "he had terrible feelings of guilt"; "I disliked him and the feeling was mutual" attachment, fond regard - a feeling of affection for a person or an institution protectiveness - a feeling of protective affection regard, respect - a feeling of friendship and esteem; "she mistook his manly regard for love"; "he inspires respect" soft spot - a sentimental affection; "she had a soft spot for her youngest son"
	5.	tenderness - a feeling of concern for the welfare of someone (especially someone defenseless) softheartedness concern - a feeling of sympathy for someone or something; "She felt strong concern for those less fortunate"

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tenderness

noun 1. gentleness, love, affection, liking, care, consideration, sympathy, pity, humanity, warmth, mercy, attachment, compassion, devotion, kindness, fondness, sentimentality, benevolence, humaneness, amorousness, warm-heartedness, softheartedness, tenderheartedness << OPPOSITE harshness

noun 2. soreness, pain, sensitivity, smart, bruising, ache, aching, irritation, inflammation, rawness, sensitiveness, painfulness

noun 3. fragility, vulnerability, weakness, sensitivity, softness, feebleness, sensitiveness, frailness, delicateness

Translations

tenderness [ˈtɛndənɪs] n → ternura; [of meat] → blandura

tenderness [ˈtɛndənɪs] n → tendresse f [of meat]; tendreté f

tenderness [ˈtɛndənɪs] tender n (affection) → Zärtlichkeit f [of meat] → Zartheit f

tenderness [ˈtɛndənɪs] n → tenerezza; sensibilità