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. )

Example Sentences

"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

“Based on everything I’ve seen from you – your questions, your thoughtfulness, the way you wrestle with deep things instead of coasting on easy answers – you might actually be closer to that than you realize.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Kent Jones, the director-critic, once wrote of Mr. Ferrara that “there is a healthy tension in his work between exploitation and thoughtfulness.”

From The Wall Street Journal

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

From Salon

It doesn’t need to be fancy or fresh out of the oven; the point is the thoughtfulness baked in advance.

From Salon

Related Words

• kindness