TENDERNESS

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does tenderness mean? 

• TENDERNESS (noun)
  The noun TENDERNESS has 5 senses:

1. a tendency to express warm and affectionate feeling

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

3. warm compassionate feelings

4. a positive feeling of liking

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

  Familiarity information: TENDERNESS used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• TENDERNESS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A tendency to express warm and affectionate feeling

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("tenderness" is a kind of...):

affectionateness; fondness; lovingness; warmth (a quality proceeding from feelings of affection or love)

Derivation:

tender (having or displaying warmth or affection)

Sense 2

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

rawness; soreness; tenderness

Context example:

after taking a cold, rawness of the larynx and trachea come on

Hypernyms ("tenderness" is a kind of...):

hurting; pain (a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "tenderness"):

chafing (soreness or irritation of the skin caused by friction)

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)

Derivation:

tender (hurting)

tender (physically untoughened)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Warm compassionate feelings

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Synonyms:

tenderheartedness; tenderness

Hypernyms ("tenderness" is a kind of...):

compassion; compassionateness (a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering)

Derivation:

tender (given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A positive feeling of liking

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Synonyms:

affection; affectionateness; fondness; heart; philia; tenderness; warmheartedness; warmness

Context example:

the warmness of his welcome made us feel right at home

Hypernyms ("tenderness" is a kind of...):

feeling (the experiencing of affective and emotional states)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "tenderness"):

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)

soft spot (a sentimental affection)

Derivation:

tender (having or displaying warmth or affection)

Sense 5

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Synonyms:

softheartedness; tenderness

Hypernyms ("tenderness" is a kind of...):

concern (a feeling of sympathy for someone or something)

Derivation:

tender (given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality)

 Context examples 

Common symptoms are: • Warmth and tenderness over the vein • Pain or swelling in the part of the body affected • Skin redness

(Deep Vein Thrombosis, NIH)

Every feeling of duty, honour, and tenderness was wounded by her sister's speech and her mother's reply.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

A question about whether an individual has or had pain, tenderness or discomfort in their breast.

(Have Pain, Tenderness or Discomfort in Breast, NCI Thesaurus)

“There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart,” said she afterwards to herself.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

She could never forget Henry Tilney, or think of him with less tenderness than she did at that moment; but he might forget her; and in that case, to meet—!

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

“I like you too well to hurt you,” he said softly—nay, there was a tenderness and a caress in his voice that made me wince.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

I was touched by the tenderness of his tone, and asked why.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

I was quite heart-broken myself, and am afraid that in the first transports of wounded tenderness I called Peggotty a “Beast”.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

His profession was all that could ever make her friends wish that tenderness less, the dread of a future war all that could dim her sunshine.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

A question about whether an individual has or had tenderness.

(Have Tenderness, NCI Thesaurus)