tenderfoot
tenderfoot Lexical Profile
tenderfoot Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American A newcomer or novice, especially a person who is unaccustomed to the hardships of frontier, ranch, or outdoor life.
"After a week of sleeping on the rocky ground and herding cattle in the rain, the city-born tenderfoot began to adapt to ranch life."
A Boy Scout or Girl Guide in the beginning rank or stage of training.
"He learned basic knot-tying and first aid to earn his badge as a tenderfoot."
• adjective
North American Inexperienced, unseasoned, or unaccustomed to rigorous outdoor or frontier life.
"The seasoned ranch hands chuckled at the tenderfoot tourists struggling to saddle their horses."
Word Nuance & Usage
Both 'tenderfoots' and 'tenderfeet' are accepted plural forms in standard English, though 'tenderfoots' is more common in modern usage.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in mid-19th-century American English on the western frontier, originally referring to newly arrived settlers or cattle whose feet were not yet calloused and toughened by rough terrain.