noun Gentle, caring, and affectionate feeling toward someone.
- There was real tenderness in the way he spoke about his grandmother.
- She held the newborn with great tenderness and hummed a quiet song.
- The old man's letters were full of tenderness for his wife.
noun Soreness or pain when an area of the body is touched.
- The doctor pressed on her stomach to check for tenderness.
- Amies Oelschlager said in a statement that oral contraceptives that contain estrogen may cause side effects such as headaches, nausea, and breast tenderness.
— Amanda Musa, The FDA approved the US’ first over-the-counter birth control pill. What happens next? (2023)
- He noted her extreme tenderness when he touched the bruise on her thigh.
- After the fall, he felt tenderness in his shoulder whenever he lifted his arm.
- The nurse asked if there was any tenderness when she touched the swollen ankle.
