tenderly
Americanadverb
-
in a soft and gentle way.
He took time to polish his new leather shoes tenderly with his handkerchief.
The wind we hated so much while climbing is now tenderly drying the sweat from our brows.
-
in an affectionate, loving, or kindhearted way.
He looked down tenderly at his baby daughter.
-
sensitively or carefully, as to avoid pain.
Moving tenderly, she attempted to raise herself from the floor where she had fallen.
Other Word Forms
- untenderly adverb
Etymology
Origin of tenderly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Father stooped down to pick up a small bruised petal from the brick pavement; tenderly he inserted it in his buttonhole.
From Literature
Grandma came over and very tenderly pinched my muscle between two fingers.
From Literature
She smiles tenderly and brings her hand to her chest.
From Literature
Those concepts interlace in his ossuary, enlivened when he plays his tenderly kept records, remnants of human joy all but lost to a Rage pestilence.
From Salon
“I do,” she said, and she tenderly patted my hand.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
