Mean and Tender

Mean

Mean adjective - Having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it.
Usage example: a mean, embittered old woman who wanted company for her misery

Tender is an antonym for mean.

Nearby Words: means, meaning, meanness, meant, meanly

Tender

Tender adjective - Having or marked by sympathy and consideration for others.
Usage example: an especially tender teacher who loves having kids with special educational needs in her class

Mean is an antonym for tender in affectionate topic.

How words are described

legal legal mean legal tender
valid valid mean valid tender
actual actual mean actual tender
little little mean little tender

Both words in one sentence

  • Now, that movie takes place in an alternate timeline, but since the two timelines diverged on the day of Kirk's birth, it would mean that even in the original one, currency was still legal tender at least until that day.
  • Disney / Zootopia In the Italian dub, it was translated as "tenera", which can mean cute, cuddly, soft, or tender.
  • Just For Fun / Tropes of Legend Pet the Dog: A kind act reveals that an outwardly mean character is tender and caring inside.
Cite this Source
Tender and Mean. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 08, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/mean/tender
Mean & Tender. N.p., 2016. Web. 08 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/mean/tender>.
Tender or Mean. 2016. Accessed August 08, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/mean/tender.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "mean" and "tender" have occurred on timeline