delicately
Americanadverb
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in a careful way.
They stepped delicately among the brambles and exposed rocks.
Aggressive removal of the tumor must be delicately balanced with the risk of injury to adjacent normal tissue.
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in a tactful or sensitive way.
Employee issues need to be managed delicately, with empathy and an open perspective.
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in a faint, subtle, quiet, or barely perceptible way.
Dessert was perfection: perfectly moist and delicately flavored ricotta and rhubarb cakes with a big dollop of creamy vanilla mascarpone.
The eye-catching Himalayan honeysuckle has pendant spikes of deep red bracts with white, delicately scented flowers and red-purple berries.
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showing or using precision or refinement.
The region is a famous center for embroidery and appliqué work, painted pottery, and delicately carved wooden doors.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of delicately
Explanation
A good cake decorator places decorations with great care and gentleness, delicately arranging each element to create a beautiful design. To do something delicately means to do something with care and precision. It comes from the word "delicate," which implies something fine, fragile, or easily damaged. For example, an artist might paint delicate details on a canvas, or a chef might delicately garnish a dish to make it look perfect. This word is often used to describe actions that require a light touch or careful handling to avoid harm or damage.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Delicately built on a shallow lagoon, Venice has been subject to the rising seas, battered by flooding in recent years.
From Washington Post • Jul. 13, 2021
Delicately arraying "Maybe I'm Amazed" across the desk's eight-track landscape, McCartney achieved careful separation among his keyboards, including piano and organ, as well as the low end of his bass and drum parts.
From Salon • Feb. 14, 2020
Delicately played by Mr. Reilly, who opens up his character one emotion at a time, Eli is a seeming conundrum; he’s also the movie’s ace in the hole.
From New York Times • Sep. 20, 2018
Delicately observed, without a hint of judgement… even for the true believers.
From Seattle Times • May 23, 2018
Delicately sensing decay at last, the regiments of mice hummed out as softly as blown gray leaves in an electrical wind.
From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
