tender

[ ten-der ]

/ ˈtɛn dər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tender ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, ten·der·er, ten·der·est.

soft or delicate in substance; not hard or tough: a tender steak.

weak or delicate in constitution; not strong or hardy.

(of plants) unable to withstand freezing temperatures.

young or immature: children of tender age.

delicate or soft in quality: tender blue.

delicate, soft, or gentle: the tender touch of her hand.

easily moved to sympathy or compassion; kind: a tender heart.

affectionate or loving; sentimental or amatory: a tender glance.

considerate or careful; chary or reluctant (usually followed by of).

acutely or painfully sensitive: a tender bruise.

easily distressed; readily made uneasy: a tender conscience.

yielding readily to force or pressure; easily broken; fragile.

of a delicate or ticklish nature; requiring careful or tactful handling: a tender subject.

Nautical. crank²(def 1).

verb (used with object)

to make tender.

Archaic. to regard or treat tenderly.

Nearby words

tendency, tendency tone, tendential, tendentious, tendentiously, tender, tender age, tender is the night, tender loving care, tender mercies, tender offer

Origin of tender

1175–1225; Middle English, variant of tendre < Old French < Latin tenerum, accusative of tener tender

Related formsten·der·ly, adverbten·der·ness, nounself-ten·der·ness, nounun·ten·der·ly, adverb

Can be confusedtender tenor tenure

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tenderly

I held it in my arms until the alarm in the safe rang harshly, and then tenderly, proudly, I replaced it and shut the steel doors.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I first glimpsed 11-year-old Yussef Mohamed tenderly cleaning the face of someone wounded.
The Agony of Syria’s Children|Jamie Dettmer|April 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Not since Bill Clinton has the middle class been so tenderly wooed.
Marco Rubio Winsome in Response to Obama, Rand Paul Mostly Feisty|Michelle Cottle|February 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The models walked with a fistful of red roses, tenderly tossing them onto the bed-bound boys as they turned a corner.
Thom Browne’s Women’s Line Evolves in the Wake of Michelle Obama’s Inaugural Ensemble|Misty White Sidell|February 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST

But underneath all the brave chutzpah, wit, jokes and verve, it is touching, naïve and tenderly confused.
This Week's Hot Reads|The Daily Beast|February 4, 2010|DAILY BEAST
He raised her face and kissed her tenderly, and she felt that she loved him better for his well-assumed indifference.
Evelyn Innes|George Moore
Blondine thanked Bonne-Biche tenderly for all these details.
Old French Fairy Tales|Comtesse de Sgur
She could not trust herself to speak, and only kissed him tenderly.
Finding the Lost Treasure|Helen M. Persons
Zollern came to her quickly, and raising her torn and bleeding hands to his lips, kissed them tenderly.
A German Pompadour|Marie Hay
The bandages ready, she knelt before him and tenderly swathed his wounds.
The Plow-Woman|Eleanor Gates

British Dictionary definitions for tenderly (1 of 3)

tender

/ (ˈtɛndə) /

adjective

easily broken, cut, or crushed; soft; not tougha tender steak

easily damaged; vulnerable or sensitivea tender youth; at a tender age

having or expressing warm and affectionate feelingsa tender smile

kind, merciful, or sympathetica tender heart

arousing warm feelings; touchinga tender memory

gentle and delicatea tender breeze

requiring care in handling; ticklisha tender question

painful or sorea tender wound

sensitive to moral or spiritual feelingsa tender conscience

(postpositive foll by of) careful or protectivetender of one's emotions

(of a sailing vessel) easily keeled over by a wind; crankCompare stiff (def. 10)

verb

(tr) rare

to make tender
to treat tenderly

Derived Formstenderly, adverbtenderness, noun

Word Origin for tender

C13: from Old French tendre, from Latin tener delicate

British Dictionary definitions for tenderly (2 of 3)

tender

/ (ˈtɛndə) /

verb

(tr) to give, present, or offerto tender one's resignation; tender a bid

(intr foll by for) to make a formal offer or estimate for (a job or contract)

(tr) law to offer (money or goods) in settlement of a debt or claim

noun

the act or an instance of tendering; offer

commerce a formal offer to supply specified goods or services at a stated cost or rate

something, esp money, used as an official medium of paymentlegal tender

Derived Formstenderable, adjectivetenderer, noun

Word Origin for tender

C16: from Anglo-French tendre, from Latin tendere to extend; see tend 1

British Dictionary definitions for tenderly (3 of 3)

tender

/ (ˈtɛndə) /

noun

a small boat, such as a dinghy, towed or carried by a yacht or ship

a vehicle drawn behind a steam locomotive to carry the fuel and water

an ancillary vehicle used to carry supplies, spare parts, etc, for a mobile operation, such as an outside broadcast

a person who tends

Word Origin for tender

C15: variant of attender

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for tenderly (1 of 3)

tender

adj.

"soft, easily injured," early 13c., from Old French tendre "soft, delicate, tender" (11c.), from Latin tenerem (nominative tener) "soft, delicate, of tender age," from PIE *ten- "stretch" (see tenet). Meaning "kind, affectionate, loving" first recorded c.1300. Meaning "having the delicacy of youth, immature" is attested from early 14c. Tender-hearted first recorded 1530s.

Word Origin and History for tenderly (1 of 3)

tender

"to offer formally," 1540s, from Middle French tendre "to offer, hold forth" (11c.), from Latin tendere "to stretch, extend" (see tenet). The retention of the ending of the French infinitive is unusual. The noun meaning "formal offer" is from 1540s; specific sense of "money that may be legally offered as payment" is from 1740.

Word Origin and History for tenderly (2 of 3)

tender

"person who tends another," late 15c., probably an agent noun formed from Middle English tenden "attend to" (see tend (2)); later extended to locomotive engineers (1825) and barmen (1883). The meaning "small boat used to attend larger ones" first recorded 1670s.

Medicine definitions for tenderly

tender

[ tĕn′dər ]

adj.

Easily crushed or bruised; fragile.

Easily hurt; sensitive.

Painful; sore.

Idioms and Phrases with tenderly

tender

see leave to someone's tender mercies.

tender

adjective, ten·der·er, ten·der·est.

verb (used with object)

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Origin of tender

Examples from the Web for tenderly

British Dictionary definitions for tenderly (1 of 3)

tender

adjective

verb

Word Origin for tender

British Dictionary definitions for tenderly (2 of 3)

tender

verb

noun

Word Origin for tender

British Dictionary definitions for tenderly (3 of 3)

tender

noun

Word Origin for tender

Word Origin and History for tenderly (1 of 3)

tender

Word Origin and History for tenderly (1 of 3)

tender

Word Origin and History for tenderly (2 of 3)

tender

Medicine definitions for tenderly

tender

adj.

Idioms and Phrases with tenderly

tender