delicacy

American  

[del-i-kuh-see] / ˈdɛl ɪ kə si /

noun

• delicacies
  plural

1. fineness of texture, quality, etc.; softness; daintiness.

   the delicacy of lace.

   Antonyms:

   coarseness

2. something delightful or pleasing, especially a choice food considered with regard to its rarity, costliness, or the like.

   Caviar is a great delicacy.

3. the quality of being easily broken or damaged; fragility.

4. the quality of requiring or involving great care or tact.

   negotiations of great delicacy.

5. extreme sensitivity; precision of action or operation; minute accuracy.

   the delicacy of a skillful surgeon's touch; a watch mechanism of unusual delicacy.

   Synonyms:

   discrimination, sensitivity, circumspection, consideration, prudence

6. fineness of perception or feeling; sensitiveness.

   the delicacy of the pianist's playing.

   Antonyms:

   coarseness

7. fineness of feeling with regard to what is fitting, proper, etc..

   Delicacy would not permit her to be rude.

8. sensitivity with regard to the feelings of others.

   She criticized him with such delicacy that he was not offended.

9. bodily weakness; liability to sickness; frailty.

10. Linguistics. (especially in systemic linguistics) the degree of minuteness pursued at a given stage of analysis in specifying distinctions in linguistic description.

11. Obsolete. sensuous indulgence; luxury.

---

delicacy British  

/ ˈdɛlɪkəsɪ /

noun

1. fine or subtle quality, character, construction, etc

   delicacy of craftsmanship

2. fragile, soft, or graceful beauty

3. something that is considered choice to eat, such as caviar

4. fragile construction or constitution; frailty

5. refinement of feeling, manner, or appreciation

   the delicacy of the orchestra's playing

6. fussy or squeamish refinement, esp in matters of taste, propriety, etc

7. need for tactful or sensitive handling

8. accuracy or sensitivity of response or operation, as of an instrument

9. (in systemic grammar) the level of detail at which a linguistic description is made; the degree of fine distinction in a linguistic description

10. obsolete gratification, luxury, or voluptuousness

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hyperdelicacy
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• delicacies
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of delicacy

First recorded in 1325–75, delicacy is from the Middle English word delicasie. See delicate, -cy

---

Explanation

A ballerina's quick, perfect steps? An antique porcelain teacup? A tiny sentence etched inside a silver locket? All of these have delicacy, or fineness that comes from being light, beautiful, or small. A delicacy can also be a prized dish that is eaten on special occasions or is especially loved by those in a certain culture or place. But what is a delicacy to some (chocolate-covered crickets, anyone?) might disgust others. Remember to use delicacy, or tact, in turning down someone else's delicacies. This could help you avoid hurting someone's feelings.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

delicacy delicacies

Some soups depend on freshness, delicacy or a particularly clean broth, and I’ll get to those.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

Animal rights activists collected the signatures of five percent of registered voters in the District of Colombia to mandate the referendum on the quintessentially French culinary delicacy that is made from the enlarged duck livers.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

The artwork depicting the Black Country-born footballers tucking into the local delicacy, also known as battered chips, resides on the side of the Classic Fryer chippy on Hagley Road, Quinton.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

The more I looked into the cult of Cane’s, the more I understood how the country’s most obsessed-over digit-shaped delicacy took America by storm, slowly and then all at once.

From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026

I enjoy the coolness of things, the flat ginger ale I’m given to drink, the delicacy of taste, afterward.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

And he bought merchandise and delicacies, including a sweet mango mochi wrapped in a thin, fluffy pancake at a 123-year-old Japanese confectionery.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

The animal, one of the world's most endangered and trafficked mammals, has been stripped of its scales and is being advertised by a Thai account selling "seasonal wild delicacies".

From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026

And American working-class staple Waffle House is becoming a fast favorite for visitors to discover American delicacies like “biscuits and gravy” — a far cry from “biscuits” and “gravy” elsewhere.

From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026

It features plenty of glistening seafood, market produce and local delicacies, alongside Tucci telling the story of a people for whom family and rituals hold communities together.

From BBC ● May 9, 2026

They eat delicacies like Slim Jims in front of us while we spoon down our oatmeal.

From "Landscape with Invisible Hand" by M.T. Anderson

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• elegance
• fragility
• lightness
• subtlety
• tenderness

---