tenderness

Noun

• a feeling of concern for the welfare of someone (especially someone defenseless)

• a positive feeling of liking
  • he had trouble expressing the affection he felt
    
  • the child won everyone's heart
    
  • the warmness of his welcome made us feel right at home
    

• warm compassionate feelings

• a pain that is felt (as when the area is touched)
  • the best results are generally obtained by inserting the needle into the point of maximum tenderness
    
  • after taking a cold, rawness of the larynx and trachea come on
    

• a tendency to express warm and affectionate feeling

Related words

• Synonyms: 
  softheartedness , affection , affectionateness , fondness , heart , warmness , warmheartedness , philia , tenderheartedness , soreness , rawness