tendresse
Gallic soft feeling
Tendresse is a French word sometimes borrowed into English for a feeling of tender affection or fondness, often with romantic or sentimental undertones.
It suggests a gentle, nurturing warmth toward someone: There was a tendresse between them that everyone noticed.
The word carries a delicacy that English "tenderness" sometimes lacks.
Gentle loving touch
- softnessYielding to gentle pressure
- delicacyRefined sensitivity or rarity
- sootheGently ease discomfort
- featherlightExtremely light, weightless-feeling
whisper · lightness · velvet · silken · stroke · touch · brush · cradling
Warm liking or affection
- adorationProfound loving regard
- devotionDeep, loyal commitment
- endearmentAffectionate word or phrase
- cherishingHolding something deeply valued
attachment · caring · love · sweetness · dearness · amour · yearning · sentimentality
State of proximity
- bondingForming close connections
- connectionA joining or relation
- togethernessState of close connection
- vulnerabilityOpenness to harm
trust · confidante · rapport · understanding · affinity · soulmate · embrace · murmur
caress
Gentle loving touch
- softnessYielding to gentle pressure
- delicacyRefined sensitivity or rarity
- sootheGently ease discomfort
featherlight · whisper · lightness · velvet · silken · stroke · touch · brush · cradling · cushioning
fondness
Warm liking or affection
- adorationProfound loving regard
- devotionDeep, loyal commitment
- endearmentAffectionate word or phrase
cherishing · attachment · caring · love · sweetness · dearness · amour · yearning · sentimentality · infatuation
closeness
State of proximity
- bondingForming close connections
- connectionA joining or relation
- togethernessState of close connection
vulnerability · trust · confidante · rapport · understanding · affinity · soulmate · embrace · murmur · gaze
coziness
Comfortable warm intimacy
snugness · fireside · nurturing · maternal · paternal · embrace · enveloping · soothing · reassurance · gentleness
tender, tenderness, bartender, tenderly, pretender, attender, tendering, tenderize, tenderized