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

Derived 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

Ternus, who starts in the new role in September, says he plans to continue CEO Tim Cook’s deep thoughtfulness, deliberateness and discipline when it comes to financial decision making.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

“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

"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 in a season already heavy with sugar, that kind of thoughtfulness can feel downright luxurious.

From Salon • Dec. 23, 2025

I thanked him for his thoughtfulness, but when I made inquiries as to payment, I found that he, too, would hear none of it.

From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Related Words

• kindness