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delicate
[ del-i-kit ]
adjective
- fine in texture, quality, construction, etc.:
a delicate lace collar.
Antonyms: coarse
delicate porcelain;
a delicate child.
Synonyms: tender, slight, feeble, weak, frangible, flimsy, brittle
- so fine as to be scarcely perceptible; subtle:
a delicate flavor.
- soft or faint, as color:
a delicate shade of pink.
- fine or precise in action or execution; capable of responding to the slightest influence:
a delicate instrument.
- requiring great care, caution, or tact:
a delicate international situation.
- distinguishing subtle differences: a delicate sense of smell.
a delicate eye;
a delicate sense of smell.
Synonyms: perceptive, discriminating, discerning
- exquisite or refined in perception or feeling; sensitive.
- regardful of what is becoming, proper, etc.:
a delicate sense of propriety.
- mindful of or sensitive to the feelings of others:
a delicate refusal.
- dainty or choice, as food:
delicate tidbits.
- primly fastidious; squeamish:
not a movie for the delicate viewer.
- Obsolete. sensuous; voluptuous.
noun
- Archaic. a choice food; delicacy.
- Obsolete. a source of pleasure; luxury.
delicate
/ ˈdɛlɪkɪt /
adjective
- exquisite, fine, or subtle in quality, character, construction, etc
- having a soft or fragile beauty
- (of colour, tone, taste, etc) pleasantly subtle, soft, or faint
- easily damaged or injured; lacking robustness, esp in health; fragile
- precise, skilled, or sensitive in action or operation
a delicate mechanism
- requiring tact and diplomacy
- sensitive in feeling or manner; showing regard for the feelings of others
- excessively refined; squeamish
noun
- archaic.a delicacy; dainty
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Derived Forms
- ˈdelicately, adverb
- ˈdelicateness, noun
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Other Words From
- del·i·cate·ly adverb
- del·i·cate·ness noun
- hy·per·del·i·cate adjective
- hy·per·del·i·cate·ness noun
- non·del·i·cate adjective
- non·del·i·cate·ness noun
- qua·si-del·i·cate adjective
- su·per·del·i·cate adjective
- su·per·del·i·cate·ness noun
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of delicate1
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Synonym Study
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Example Sentences
The scenes between Johansson and Adam Pearson, a man with neurofibromatosis, are some of the most delicate and visceral this year.
She used electrolysis to banish the prickly hair from her delicate face.
It's about the delicate fabric of the universe and how our fragile insides crumble when that fabric is torn.
For those with a predilection for immaculately fine and delicate paintings by Botticelli, his Madonna of the Book will satisfy.
Its spine, too, “‘hubbed’ as the most prized European classics are,” is decorated with delicate gold squiggles and a star.
The flowers grow in clusters from the extremities of the stalk; they are yellow externally and of a delicate red within.
This Captain Kirton was really the best of the Kirton bunch: a quiet, unassuming young man, somewhat delicate in health.
Isabel had a glimpse of a delicate high-bred face set like a panel in a parted curtain.
Indifferent health, for he was delicate too, was one of the bonds between us.
Not to smoke at all in the presence of a superior, is held the most delicate homage which can be paid him.
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