tenderhearted
Soft toward others
Tenderhearted describes someone easily moved to compassion, sympathy, or sadness.
A tenderhearted person feels others' pain acutely and responds with gentleness: She was too tenderhearted to watch the news.
The word suggests emotional sensitivity as a virtue, though it can imply vulnerability to being hurt or manipulated.
Naturally sympathetic and caring
- warmheartedAffectionate and sympathetic
- softheartedReadily feeling sympathy
- sympatheticFeeling others' emotions
- empatheticFeeling what others feel
merciful · caring · benevolent · humane · pitying · forgiving · understanding · solicitous
Feeling deep affection
- affectionateShowing warm regard
- caringShowing kind concern
- supportiveOffering help and reassurance
- attentivePaying close notice
protective · doting · devoted · motherly · fatherly · gentle · soothing · comforting
Showing strong feelings
- tearfulProne to weeping
- sentimentalExcessively emotional about memories
- thin-skinnedEasily hurt by remarks
- impressionableEasily influenced or affected
reactive · feeling · responsive · delicate · vulnerable · raw · unguarded · susceptible
Moderate in intensity
- meekHumbly unassertive
- soft-spokenSpeaking quietly, gently
- docileEasily controlled or taught
- placidCalm, undisturbed
serene · calm · peaceful · unassuming · humble · lamblike · dove-like · sweet-tempered
kindhearted
Naturally sympathetic and caring
- warmheartedAffectionate and sympathetic
- softheartedReadily feeling sympathy
- sympatheticFeeling others' emotions
empathetic · merciful · caring · benevolent · humane · pitying · forgiving · understanding · solicitous · good-natured
loving
Feeling deep affection
- affectionateShowing warm regard
- caringShowing kind concern
- supportiveOffering help and reassurance
attentive · protective · doting · devoted · motherly · fatherly · gentle · soothing · comforting · encouraging
emotional
Showing strong feelings
- tearfulProne to weeping
- sentimentalExcessively emotional about memories
- thin-skinnedEasily hurt by remarks
impressionable · reactive · feeling · responsive · delicate · vulnerable · raw · unguarded · susceptible · touched
mild
Moderate in intensity
- meekHumbly unassertive
- soft-spokenSpeaking quietly, gently
- docileEasily controlled or taught
placid · serene · calm · peaceful · unassuming · humble · lamblike · dove-like · sweet-tempered · mellow
- Heart compoundswarmhearted, coldhearted, kindhearted, wholehearted, halfhearted
- kind traitskind, caring, compassionate, nurturing, generous
tenderheartedhardhearted
Lacking sympathy or pity
heartless · callous · cold-hearted · hard-hearted · pitiless