Meaning & use
tender
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparableapproving
Gentle and loving in the way someone acts or speaks.
Grammar: Can come before a noun or after be: a tender smile, she was tender.
Patterns
- tender with someone
He gave her a tender kiss on the forehead.
She spoke in a tender voice to the frightened child.
The nurse was tender with the patients.
adjectivecomparable
Soft and easy to cut or chew, used of food.
Grammar: Describes cooked food: tender meat.
The lamb was slow-cooked until it was tender.
These young carrots are very tender.
The steak was juicy and tender.
adjectivecomparable
Painful when touched.
Grammar: Used about body parts: a tender spot.
My ankle is still tender after the fall.
The bruise was tender to the touch.
He had a tender spot on his shoulder.
verbtransitiveformal
To offer something formally, such as a resignation or a bid.
Grammar: Takes an object: she tendered her resignation.
Patterns
- tender something to someone
She tendered her resignation on Monday.
Three firms tendered bids for the contract.
He tendered an apology to the board.
nouncountablebusiness
A formal offer to supply goods or do work at a stated price.
Grammar: Often put out to tender or submit a tender.
Patterns
- a tender for something
The council invited tenders to build the new library.
Their tender was the lowest.
The contract went out to tender.
Word forms
| comparative | tenderer |
|---|---|
| superlative | tenderest |
| third person singular | tenders |
| past tense | tendered |
| -ing form | tendering |
| plural | tenders |
Common combinations
- tender loving care
- The plant recovered with tender loving care.
- tender age
- She learned to swim at a tender age.
- tender steak
- The restaurant is known for its tender steak.
- tender a resignation
- He tendered his resignation yesterday.
- put out to tender
- The project will be put out to tender.
- legal tender
- Coins and notes are legal tender.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gentle
- Gentle is more general and can describe anything mild, while tender suggests affection.
- soft
- Soft describes touch or texture and lacks the emotional warmth of tender.
- sore
- Sore describes pain that lasts, while tender is pain that appears mainly when touched.
- offer
- Offer is everyday and informal, whereas tender sounds formal and official.
Opposites
Word family
- tenderly adverb
- in a gentle, loving way
- tenderness noun
- gentleness or soreness
- tenderize verb
- to make meat softer
- tenderhearted adjective
- kind and easily moved by others' feelings
Commonly confused: tender or tendon?
tender vs tendon
A tendon is a cord that joins muscle to bone, not a quality of softness or gentleness.
Practice
Three companies submitted a ___ to build the new bridge.
Choose one answer.
A tender is a formal offer to do work at a stated price. Tenderness and tenderly are about gentleness, and a tendon is part of the body.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tender”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.