tender
adjective/ˈtendə(r)/
/ˈtendər/
(comparative tenderer, superlative tenderest)
more tender and most tender are also commonIdioms - kind, gentle and loving
- tender words
- What he needs now is a lot of tender loving care (= sympathetic treatment).
Extra ExamplesTopics Personal qualitiesc1- He felt tender and loving towards her.
- Her expression became soft, almost tender.
- The letters to Penelope are achingly tender.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- feel
- seem
- …
- achingly
- very
- almost
- …
- towards/toward
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- (of food) easy to bite through and cut
- This meat is extremely tender.
- Boil the beans until they are tender.
- four large slices of tender chicken
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- seem
- become
- …
- beautifully
- deliciously
- exceptionally
- …
- (of part of the body) painful when you touch it synonym sore
- My leg is still very tender where I banged it.
- The back of my neck feels very tender.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- feel
- look
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- easily hurt or damaged synonym delicate
- tender young plants
Word Originadjective Middle English: from Old French tendre, from Latin tener ‘tender, delicate’.
Idioms
See tender in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee tender in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishat a tender age | at the tender age of…
- used in connection with somebody who is still young and does not have much experience
- He left home at the tender age of 15.
- She shouldn't be having to deal with problems like this at such a tender age.
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tender