Tenderheartednesses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A quality characterizing a deep compassion and sensitivity towards the emotions of others
2. a disposition marked by kindness and gentle feelings towards living beings
3. the emotional state of being easily moved to sympathy and affection, reflecting a caring and soft-hearted nature

Etymology: "Tenderheartednesses" is the plural of "tenderheartedness," a noun built from the adjective "tenderhearted" plus the suffix "-ness." The adjective is a compound of "tender" and "heart," and its sense of gentle, compassionate feeling goes back to the Middle English period, when "tender" could mean soft to the touch and "heart" stood for the seat of feeling. Combining the two produced a word for a person easily moved by others' suffering. The noun "tenderheartedness" follows the usual English pattern of turning an adjective into a quality by adding "-ness," an ending that goes back to Old English. Its plural form, "tenderheartednesses," is rare, used when speaking of several distinct instances or kinds of this quality.

Synonyms: compassion, kindness

Antonyms: cruelty, hard-heartedness