delicateadjective
uk/ˈdel.ɪ.kət/us/ˈdel.ə.kət/delicate adjective (EASILY DAMAGED)
B2 needing careful treatment, especially because easily damaged:
Peaches have delicate skins which are easily bruised.
Delicate plants need to be kept in a greenhouse during the winter.
delicate china
Molly's health has always been delicate (= she gets sick easily).
C1 needing to be done carefully:
Repairing damaged nerves is a very delicate operation/process.
More examples
- With something as delicate as brain surgery, there is little margin for error.
- If used on delicate skin, this cream may produce a stinging sensation.
- She's got a very delicate stomach and doesn't eat spicy food.
- This news has ruptured the delicate peace between the rival groups.
- The introduction of the tube into the artery is a very delicate procedure.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Fragile and breakable
- breakable
- brittle
- crumbly
- delicacy
- dodgy
- fissile
- flaky
- flimsy
- fragile
- frail
- friable
- ramshackle
- rickety
- tenuous
delicate adjective (DIFFICULT)
a delicate situation, matter, point, etc.
C1 a situation. matter, etc. that needs to be dealt with carefully in order to avoid trouble or offence:
I need to speak to you about a delicate matter.
The pay negotiations have reached a delicate point/stage.
Teachers need to strike a delicate (= carefully achieved) balance between instructing their students and letting them discover things for themselves.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Fragile and breakable
- breakable
- brittle
- crumbly
- delicacy
- dodgy
- fissile
- flaky
- flimsy
- fragile
- frail
- friable
- ramshackle
- rickety
- tenuous
delicate adjective (ACCURATE)
able to measure very small changes:
Weather-forecasters have extremely delicate equipment which helps them predict what the weather is going to be like.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Fragile and breakable
- breakable
- brittle
- crumbly
- delicacy
- dodgy
- fissile
- flaky
- flimsy
- fragile
- frail
- friable
- ramshackle
- rickety
- tenuous
delicate adjective (SOFT)
B2 pleasantly soft or light:
a rose with a delicate scent
a delicate shade of pink
We chose a delicate floral pattern for our bedroom curtains.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Causing pleasure
- agreeable
- all things to all people idiom
- attractive
- banging
- be better than sex idiom
- brighten
- dreamy
- ducky
- enchant
- engaging
- enjoyable
- jolly
- keep sb sweet idiom
- knock
- leafy
- lighten
- lovely
- make sb's day idiom
- quench
- tickle
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delicate adjective (ATTRACTIVE)
C2 having a thin, attractive shape:
She folded her delicate hands on the table.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Thin and fine
- elongate
- elongated
- fine
- finely
- fineness
- hairline
- knife edge
- narrow
- paper-thin
- papery
- pencil-thin
- razor-thin
- sheer
- slim
- slimline
- thin
- thinly
- waisted
- wasp-waisted
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Attractive
delicately
adverb uk/ˈdel.ɪ.kət.li/us/ˈdel.ə.kət.li/
I thought you handled the situation very delicately (= in a way that avoided causing offence).
The dessert was delicately flavoured with vanilla.