Meaning & use
thoughtfulness
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Meanings
noununcountableapproving
Care shown by noticing what other people need or feel and acting kindly.
Grammar: No an or plural: thank you for your thoughtfulness.
Patterns
- thoughtfulness toward someone
- thoughtfulness of someone
I was touched by her thoughtfulness in sending flowers.
The nurse's thoughtfulness made the long night easier.
Thank you for your thoughtfulness, especially when you were so busy.
noununcountable
The habit of thinking carefully and seriously before speaking or acting.
Grammar: Used about reflective people or work: the thoughtfulness of the essay.
Patterns
- thoughtfulness in something
The thoughtfulness of his answer impressed the interviewers.
She approached the problem with calm thoughtfulness.
The article is notable for its thoughtfulness rather than its speed.
Common combinations
- show thoughtfulness
- He showed thoughtfulness by remembering my birthday.
- act of thoughtfulness
- Leaving a note for the new neighbors was an act of thoughtfulness.
- with thoughtfulness
- She answered the question with thoughtfulness.
- thank someone for their thoughtfulness
- I thanked my aunt for her thoughtfulness.
- quiet thoughtfulness
- His quiet thoughtfulness made him easy to talk to.
Synonyms and how they differ
- consideration
- Consideration is a bit more formal and often refers to taking others' feelings into account, while thoughtfulness feels warmer and more personal.
- kindness
- Kindness is broader and need not involve careful attention, whereas thoughtfulness shows you noticed what someone needed.
- attentiveness
- Attentiveness stresses paying close attention to a person, and it can sound more like good service than personal warmth.
- reflection
- Reflection fits only the deep-thinking sense, and it does not suggest being kind to anyone.
Opposites
Word family
- thought noun
- an idea or the act of thinking
- thoughtful adjective
- considerate, or showing careful thinking
- thoughtfully adverb
- in a considerate or careful way
- thoughtless adjective
- not caring about other people
Commonly confused: thoughtfulness or thoughtlessness?
thoughtfulness vs thoughtlessness
Thoughtlessness is the opposite, meaning a lack of consideration, so the -less ending reverses the meaning.
Practice
We were grateful for her ___ in bringing soup to us while we were ill.
Choose one answer.
Thoughtfulness means considerate attention to others' needs, so bringing soup fits. Curiosity is a wish to know things, which is not shown by this act.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “thoughtfulness”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.