tender - Definition | Dictionary definition of tender

Definition of tender

Adjectives

given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality

"a tender heart"

"a tender smile"

"tender loving care"

"tender memories"

"a tender mother"

Synonyms:: soft
compassionate and kind; conciliatory; protective
showing care; sentimental
given to or marked by sentiment or sentimentality

Antonyms:: tough
not given to gentleness or sentimentality; hard
dispassionate; insensitive
deficient in human sensibility; not mentally or morally sensitive; hard-bitten, hard-boiled, pugnacious
tough and callous by virtue of experience; tough-minded, unsentimental
facing facts or difficulties realistically and with determination; show more antonyms...

hurting

"the tender spot on his jaw"

Synonyms:: raw, sensitive, sore; painful
causing physical or psychological pain

young and immature

"at a tender age"

Synonyms:: immature, young
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

having or displaying warmth or affection

"a tender glance"

Synonyms:: affectionate, fond, lovesome, warm; loving
feeling or showing love and affection

easy to cut or chew

"tender beef"

Synonyms:: comestible, eatable, edible
suitable for use as food; chewable, cuttable
easy to cut or chew; crisp, crispy
tender and brittle; flakey, flaky
made of or easily forming flakes; tenderised, tenderized
made tender as by marinating or pounding

Antonyms:: tough
resistant to cutting or chewing; inedible, uneatable
not suitable for food; cartilaginous, gristly, rubbery
difficult to chew; chewy
requiring much chewing; coriaceous, leathered, leatherlike, leathery
resembling or made to resemble leather; tough but pliable; fibrous, sinewy, stringy, unchewable
(of meat) full of sinews; especially impossible to chew; hempen
having or resembling fibers especially fibers used in making cordage such as those of jute; tough-skinned
having a relatively tough outer covering; show more antonyms...

physically untoughened

"tender feet"

Synonyms:: untoughened; weak
wanting in physical strength; delicate, soft
easily hurt

Antonyms:: tough
physically toughened; toughened; rugged
sturdy and strong in constitution or construction; enduring; experienced, experient
having experience; having knowledge or skill from observation or participation; strong
having strength or power greater than average or expected; callous, calloused, thickened
having calluses; having skin made tough and thick through wear; enured, hardened, inured
made tough by habitual exposure; weather-beaten
tanned and coarsened from being outdoors; show more antonyms...

(used of boats) inclined to heel over easily under sail

Synonyms:: crank, cranky, tippy; unstable
lacking stability or fixity or firmness

(of plants) not hardy; easily killed by adverse growing condition

"tender green shoots"

Synonyms:: delicate
exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury

Nouns

something that can be used as an official medium of payment

Synonyms:: legal tender, stamp

Types:: food stamp
a government-issued stamp that can be used in exchange for food

Type of:: medium of exchange, monetary system
anything that is generally accepted as a standard of value and a measure of wealth in a particular country or region

someone who waits on or tends to or attends to the needs of another

Synonyms:: attendant, attender

Examples:: show 4 examples...; hide 4 examples...; Damocles
the Greek courtier to Dionysius the Elder who (according to legend) was condemned to sit under a naked sword that was suspended by a hair in order to demonstrate to him that being a king was not the happy state Damocles had said it was (4th century BC); Comtesse Du Barry
courtier and influential mistress of Louis XV who was guillotined during the French Revolution (1743-1793); Sir Walter Raleigh
English courtier (a favorite of Elizabeth I) who tried to colonize Virginia; introduced potatoes and tobacco to England (1552-1618); Sir John Suckling
English poet and courtier (1609-1642)

Types:: show 41 types...; hide 41 types...; companion
one paid to accompany or assist or live with another; baggageman
an attendant who takes care of baggage; batman
an orderly assigned to serve a British military officer; bellboy, bellhop, bellman
someone employed as an errand boy and luggage carrier around hotels; bridesmaid, maid of honor
an unmarried woman who attends the bride at a wedding; caddie, golf caddie
an attendant who carries the golf clubs for a player; checker
an attendant who checks coats or baggage; check girl, hatcheck girl
a female checker; courtier
an attendant at the court of a sovereign; cupbearer
the attendant (usually an officer of a nobleman's household) whose duty is to fill and serve cups of wine; equerry
a personal attendant of the British royal family; escort
an attendant who is employed to accompany someone; color guard
a ceremonial escort for the (regimental) colors; guard of honor, honor guard
an escort for a distinguished guest or for the casket at a military funeral; minder
someone (usually in totalitarian countries) who is assigned to watch over foreign visitors; guide, usher
someone employed to conduct others; esquire
(Middle Ages) an attendant and shield bearer to a knight; a candidate for knighthood; famulus
a close attendant (as to a scholar); gillie
a young male attendant on a Scottish Highlander chief; groomsman
a male attendant of the bridegroom at a wedding; best man
the principal groomsman at a wedding; lifeguard, lifesaver
an attendant employed at a beach or pool to protect swimmers from accidents; linkboy, linkman
(formerly) an attendant hired to carry a torch for pedestrians in dark streets; loader
an attendant who loads guns for someone shooting game; matron of honor
a married woman serving as the attendant to the bride at a wedding; hospital attendant, orderly
a male hospital attendant who has general duties that do not involve the medical treatment of patients; orderly
a soldier who serves as an attendant to a superior officer; page, varlet
in medieval times a youth acting as a knight's attendant as the first stage in training for knighthood; page
a youthful attendant at official functions or ceremonies such as legislative functions and weddings; racker
an attendant who puts pool or billiard balls into a rack; rocker
an attendant who rocks a child in a cradle; second
the official attendant of a contestant in a duel or boxing match; servitor
someone who performs the duties of an attendant for someone else; squire
young nobleman attendant on a knight; armiger, armor-bearer
a squire carrying the armor of a knight; gallant, squire
a man who attends or escorts a woman; flight attendant, steward
an attendant on an airplane; air hostess, hostess, stewardess
a woman steward on an airplane; litter-bearer, stretcher-bearer
one who helps carry a stretcher; trainbearer
one who holds up the train of a gown or robe on a ceremonial occasion; arouser, rouser, waker
someone who rouses others from sleep

Type of:: assistant, help, helper, supporter
a person who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose

a formal proposal to buy at a specified price

Synonyms:: bid

Types:: overbid
a bid that is higher than preceding bids; buyout bid
a bid to buy all of a person's holdings

Type of:: offer, offering
something offered (as a proposal or bid)

car attached to a locomotive to carry fuel and water

Type of:: car, railcar, railroad car, railway car
a wheeled vehicle adapted to the rails of railroad

a boat for communication between ship and shore

Synonyms:: cutter, pinnace, ship's boat

Types:: gig
tender that is a light ship's boat; often for personal use of captain

Type of:: boat
a small vessel for travel on water

ship that usually provides supplies to other ships

Synonyms:: supply ship

Type of:: ship
a vessel that carries passengers or freight

Verbs

offer or present for acceptance

Type of:: gift, give, present
give as a present; make a gift of

propose a payment

Synonyms:: bid, offer

Types:: show 6 types...; hide 6 types...; by-bid
bid on behalf of someone else; subscribe
offer to buy, as of stocks and shares; overbid
bid more than the object is worth; underbid
bid too low; outbid
bid higher than others; underbid
bid lower than a competing bidder