thoughtfulness

American  

[thawt-fuhl-nis] / ˈθɔt fəl nɪs /

noun

1. the characteristic or habit of anticipating and being attentive to the needs and interests of others.

   I was touched by the thoughtfulness of the busy waitress, who rushed to open the heavy door for me when I left.

2. the quality of showing careful, thorough reflection.

   The thoughtfulness of your interview questions really helped all the participants get to know the candidate.

3. a contemplative or meditative state or quality; pensiveness.

   He stood looking down at them in gloomy thoughtfulness.

4. the quality of being careful, heedful, or mindful (usually followed by of).

   Solving problems requires not just knowledge of advanced technology, but thoughtfulness of context and application.

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Other Word Forms

• overthoughtfulness noun
• unthoughtfulness noun

Etymology

Origin of thoughtfulness

thoughtful ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Explanation

Someone who considers other people's feelings has the quality of thoughtfulness. It takes real thoughtfulness to comfort a friend who's recently lost his pet cat. When you remember to bring doughnuts for everyone at work, that's thoughtfulness, and it's thoughtfulness that inspires you to send your grandmother a thank you note for your birthday gift. Another kind of thoughtfulness describes deliberate thinking before doing something. It might, for example, require some thoughtfulness to figure out how to hook up your new TV. The word comes from the adjective thoughtful, which originally meant "moody or anxious," but came to mean "considerate" in the 1850's.

Example Sentences

“When writing belated wedding thank-you cards, be sure to focus your message on how much you appreciate the thoughtfulness of their gift and their presence at your celebration,” the Knot adds.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

Totalitarian abuses of power and the banal ascendancy of evil aren’t stopped with mere pity, she maintained, but with thoughtfulness.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

"I remember thinking on Valentine's Day, 'Oh he's probably a very good boyfriend, 'cause there's a lot of thoughtfulness in this'," she continued.

From BBC • Feb. 13, 2026

“And there’s a balance. … There’s a lot of thoughtfulness that has to go into all of these decisions to make that happen.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2025

A look of mysterious thoughtfulness crossed his face.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

Related Words

• kindness