delicate
Americanadjective
-
fine in texture, quality, construction, etc..
a delicate lace collar.
- Antonyms:
- coarse
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easily broken or damaged; physically weak; fragile; frail.
delicate porcelain;
a delicate child.
-
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.
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
Related Words
Delicate, dainty, exquisite imply beauty such as belongs to rich surroundings or which needs careful treatment. Delicate, used of an object, suggests fragility, small size, and often very fine workmanship: a delicate piece of carving. Dainty, in concrete references, suggests a smallness, gracefulness, and beauty that forbid rough handling: a dainty handkerchief; of persons, it refers to fastidious sensibilities: dainty in eating habits. Exquisite suggests an outstanding beauty and elegance, or a discriminating sensitivity and ability to perceive fine distinctions: an exquisite sense of humor.
Other Word Forms
- delicately adverb
- delicateness noun
- hyperdelicate adjective
- hyperdelicateness noun
- nondelicate adjective
- nondelicateness noun
- quasi-delicate adjective
- superdelicate adjective
- superdelicateness noun
Etymology
Origin of delicate
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English delicat, from Latin dēlicātus “delightful, dainty”; akin to delicious
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.
The Scottish star, whose stunning voice and delicate folk ballads earned them a Mercury Prize nomination last year, is also set to perform at the ceremony.
From BBC
The results are Romantic landscapes in miniature, with the variegation of the stone transforming into fields, skies and mountains whose beauty is further enhanced by the delicate metalwork in which they’re mounted.
Perhaps in recognition of those sensitivities, both Meta and YouTube assigned Thursday’s delicate cross-examination to female attorneys, who took a decidedly softer tack with Kaley than Stanner had with her therapist.
From Los Angeles Times
Charles made out a delicate hand holding an ethereal fabric veil across its face.
From Literature
These quiet compositions are both minimal and surreal, as the edge of a roaring fire is rendered in a delicate line, or a multicolored shrimp floats in the middle of a vacant plane.
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.
