loving-kindness
Warmhearted care freely
Loving-kindness is tender benevolence toward others, combining affection with compassion.
The term appears frequently in religious contexts, especially translations of Hebrew scripture and Buddhist meditation practice.
In Buddhism, loving-kindness meditation cultivates unconditional goodwill toward all beings: May all beings be happy; may all beings be free from suffering.
The hyphenated form emphasizes that this is kindness infused with love, not mere politeness.
Gentle, caring quality
- warmthHeat you feel
- gentlenessSoft, kind demeanor
- mercyCompassion toward offenders
- careAttentive regard for others
soft-heartedness · solicitude · affection · benevolence · goodwill · grace · humanity · forgiveness
Voluntary aid for others
- givingTransferring to another
- philanthropyGenerous giving for others
- selflessnessPrioritizing others over oneself
- altruismPrioritizing others' wellbeing
service · volunteerism · dana · aid · hospitality · magnanimity · munificence · beneficence
Mental comprehension of something
- attunementHarmonious receptive connection
- connectionA joining or relation
- rapportHarmonious mutual connection
- sensitivityResponsiveness to stimuli
mindfulness · awareness · concern · emotional resonance · fellow-feeling · presence · deep listening · insight
Focused attention practice
- blessingPrayer seeking divine favor
- visualizationForming mental or graphical images
- mantraRepeated focus phrase
- contemplationSustained reflective attention
self-compassion · retreats · guided meditation · cultivation · heartfulness · well-wishing
tenderness
Gentle, caring quality
- warmthHeat you feel
- gentlenessSoft, kind demeanor
- mercyCompassion toward offenders
care · soft-heartedness · solicitude · affection · benevolence · goodwill · grace · humanity · forgiveness · patience
charity
Voluntary aid for others
- givingTransferring to another
- philanthropyGenerous giving for others
- selflessnessPrioritizing others over oneself
altruism · service · volunteerism · dana · aid · hospitality · magnanimity · munificence · beneficence · offering
understanding
Mental comprehension of something
- attunementHarmonious receptive connection
- connectionA joining or relation
- rapportHarmonious mutual connection
sensitivity · mindfulness · awareness · concern · emotional resonance · fellow-feeling · presence · deep listening · insight · intuition
meditation
Focused attention practice
- blessingPrayer seeking divine favor
- visualizationForming mental or graphical images
- mantraRepeated focus phrase
contemplation · self-compassion · retreats · guided meditation · cultivation · heartfulness · well-wishing
- Kabbalahhod, Tree of Life, tree of life, divine spark, sparks
- Brahmaviharasequanimity, immeasurables
- Buddhist compassionself-compassion, bodhisattva, Tara
- benevolencealtruism, benevolence, charity work, generosity, giving
- meditationbreathing meditation, breath, breath meditation, mantra, breathing
- mindfulnessmindfulness, meditation, meditate, breathe, breath
loving-kindnesscruelty
Deliberate harm-causing disposition
malevolence · brutality · abuse · aggression · sadism
loving-kindnessill will
Hostile or unfriendly feeling
hatred · aversion · dosa · hardheartedness · resentment