tenderness

1 a tendency to express warm and affectionate feeling

2 a pain that is felt when the area is touched [syn: soreness]

3 warm compassionate feelings [syn: tenderheartedness]

4 a positive feeling of liking; "he had trouble expressing the affection he felt"; "the child won everyone's heart" [syn: affection, affectionateness, fondness, heart, warmheartedness]

5 a feeling of concern for the welfare of someone (especially someone defenseless) [syn: softheartedness]

English

Pronunciation

Noun

1. a tendency to express warm, compassionate feelings

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

2. concern for the feelings or welfare of others

   When they saw the poor orphans, they were overwhelmed with tenderness for them.

3. pain or discomfort when an affected area is touched

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

Tenderness can mean:

• a tendency to express warm, compassionate, or affectionate feelings
• tenderness (medicine) - pain or discomfort when an affected area is touched

Other

• "Tenderness" (song), a song by General Public

See also

• Terms of endearment
• Love
• Affection

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