Emily Dickinson Lexicon

tender (-er, -est), adj. [Fr. 'tender, delicate.']

1. Personal; intimate; sensitive; exquisite; emotionally vulnerable; [fig.] airy; ethereal; delicately written; carefully scribed.
2. Gentle; subtle; understated; unpretentious; pleasing.
3. Refined; delicate; sweet.
4. Weak; faint; waning; solicitous.
5. Meek; compassionate; long-suffering; understanding; merciful.
6. Poignant; thoughtful.
7. Young; youthful; little; small; earlier stage; first part of life; not yet fully developed.
8. Delicate; soft; lacking harshness.