thoughtfulness
Americannoun
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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.
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the quality of showing careful, thorough reflection.
The thoughtfulness of your interview questions really helped all the participants get to know the candidate.
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a contemplative or meditative state or quality; pensiveness.
He stood looking down at them in gloomy thoughtfulness.
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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.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of thoughtfulness
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.
Vocabulary lists containing thoughtfulness
Giving Words
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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.
Speak to enough hosts and hostesses, and you soon learn how the best often share a thoughtfulness for detail.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 4, 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
And in a season already heavy with sugar, that kind of thoughtfulness can feel downright luxurious.
From Salon • Dec. 23, 2025
Matt Wilson at the ASA says the issue highlighted brands' responsibilities and "the thoughtfulness they need to take".
From BBC • Aug. 8, 2025
“Those little daily acts of thoughtfulness were much appreciated and the men soon loved him.”
From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple
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.
