as in novice
a person who is just starting out in a field of activity
skateboarders who are tenderfeet will inevitably fall as they learn their first moves
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tenderfoot
Smit-McPhee plays a hapless Scottish tenderfoot who teams with Fassbender's conflicted bounty hunter to track down his true love in the American West.
—
and Kevin Jacobsen, EW.com, 21 June 2024
The tenderfoot Americans, with six rookies, eight guys yet to reach 30, and minimal scar tissue, won three of four foursomes in the morning to get to 9-3 and two of four fourball rounds in the afternoon to reach 11-5.
—BostonGlobe.com, 25 Sep. 2021
Once upon a time, the members of a whitetail deer hunting club in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula invited a tenderfoot to their camp.
—The Editors, Field & Stream, 11 Oct. 2020
But even a tenderfoot can easily corral yeast and put it to use, because yeast is everywhere.
—Henry Fountain, New York Times, 7 May 2020
Lazaria Spearman School: Dacula High Class: 2022 Position: Forward
College: Undecided
Noteworthy: The 6-foot-2 tenderfoot averaged 17 points and 14 rebounds per game to help the Falcons to a 26-4 record.
—USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2020
But like a tenderfoot scout who confidently builds a campfire only to end up burning down the forest, Kalanick’s loose management — of his staff and himself — paved the way for a cascade of embarrassing scandals by 2014.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2019
The film stars Robert Pattinson as Samuel Alabaster, a foppishly dressed tenderfoot who shows up on the Oregon territory with miniature horse named Butterscotch, looking to hire a preacher (David Zellner) for a wedding.
—Gary Thompson, Philly.com, 27 June 2018
and Kevin Jacobsen, EW.com, 21 June 2024
The tenderfoot Americans, with six rookies, eight guys yet to reach 30, and minimal scar tissue, won three of four foursomes in the morning to get to 9-3 and two of four fourball rounds in the afternoon to reach 11-5.
—BostonGlobe.com, 25 Sep. 2021
Once upon a time, the members of a whitetail deer hunting club in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula invited a tenderfoot to their camp.
—The Editors, Field & Stream, 11 Oct. 2020
But even a tenderfoot can easily corral yeast and put it to use, because yeast is everywhere.
—Henry Fountain, New York Times, 7 May 2020
Lazaria Spearman School: Dacula High Class: 2022 Position: Forward
College: Undecided
Noteworthy: The 6-foot-2 tenderfoot averaged 17 points and 14 rebounds per game to help the Falcons to a 26-4 record.
—USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2020
But like a tenderfoot scout who confidently builds a campfire only to end up burning down the forest, Kalanick’s loose management — of his staff and himself — paved the way for a cascade of embarrassing scandals by 2014.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2019
The film stars Robert Pattinson as Samuel Alabaster, a foppishly dressed tenderfoot who shows up on the Oregon territory with miniature horse named Butterscotch, looking to hire a preacher (David Zellner) for a wedding.
—Gary Thompson, Philly.com, 27 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tenderfoot
Noun
-
Sheriff investigators described Pickles as a novice operator of the boat.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
14 May 2026
-
Taylor Swift just wore the most romantic summer hairstyle that any novice can achieve.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Replit has broad reach across beginners, educators and enterprises alike.—
Rebecca Fannin,
CNBC,
19 May 2026
-
Tomatoes are a fairly easy fruit to plant and take care, especially for beginner gardeners.—
Asia London Palomba,
The Spruce,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
Humanoid robot to serve as renovation apprentice The renovation project involving the humanoid robot ‘Tinnie’ is being launched by Cherie Barber, also known as Australia’s Renovation Queen.—
Abhishek Bhardwaj,
Interesting Engineering,
18 May 2026
-
As the dust settles, Din adopts Grogu, who is renamed Din Grogu and officially becomes a Mandalorian apprentice.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
Defending champion United States bounced back from a loss to Switzerland with a 5-1 victory over tournament newcomer Britain at the ice hockey world championship on Sunday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 May 2026
-
The €17 million feature stars Marion Cotillard, Benoît Magimel and newcomer Aaron Debarre.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
Kyle Louis, a former University of Pittsburgh standout the Dolphins selected in the fourth round, stepped in front of a pass thrown by rookie quarterback Mark Gronowski and returned it for a pick-six.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
19 May 2026
-
In addition to Tagovailoa, who the team signed in free agency this offseason after six years with the Miami Dolphins, the Falcons have veteran journeyman Trevor Siemian and undrafted rookie Jack Strand in their quarterback rotation.—
Daniel Flick,
AJC.com,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
Both starting pitchers — freshman Talon Brown for Christian and senior Colin Gallagher of Madison — would appear to have a future in baseball.—
John Maffei,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 May 2026
-
A lot of the other seniors on this team were on varsity or JV as freshmen that year.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tenderfoot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tenderfoot. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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