delicate

del·i·cate

 (dĕl′ĭ-kĭt)

adj.

1. Pleasing to the senses, especially in a subtle way: a delicate flavor; a delicate violin passage.

2.

a. Easily broken or damaged: a kite too delicate to fly.

b. Exquisitely fine or dainty: delicate china. See Synonyms at exquisite.

c. Frail in constitution or health.

3.

a. Marked by sensitivity of discrimination: a critic's delicate perception.

b. Very subtle in difference or distinction.

4.

a. Having or showing great consideration or care: delicate remarks concerning the scandal.

b. Requiring careful or tactful treatment: a delicate situation.

5. Fine or soft in touch or skill: a surgeon's delicate touch.

6. Measuring, indicating, or responding to very small changes; precise: a delicate set of scales.

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[Middle English delicat and French délicat, both from Latin dēlicātus, pleasing; akin to dēlicia, pleasure; see delicious.]

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del′i·cate·ly adv.

del′i·cate·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

delicate

(ˈdɛlɪkɪt)

adj

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

2. having a soft or fragile beauty

3. (of colour, tone, taste, etc) pleasantly subtle, soft, or faint

4. easily damaged or injured; lacking robustness, esp in health; fragile

5. precise, skilled, or sensitive in action or operation: a delicate mechanism.

6. requiring tact and diplomacy

7. sensitive in feeling or manner; showing regard for the feelings of others

8. excessively refined; squeamish

n

(Cookery) archaic a delicacy; dainty

[C14: from Latin dēlicātus affording pleasure, from dēliciae (pl) delight, pleasure; see delicious]

ˈdelicately adv

ˈdelicateness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

del•i•cate

(ˈdɛl ɪ kɪt)

adj.

1. fine in texture, quality, construction, etc.

2. fragile; easily damaged; frail.

3. so fine as to be scarcely perceptible; subtle: a delicate flavor.

4. soft or faint, as color.

5. fine or precise in action or execution: a delicate performance.

6. requiring great care, caution, or tact: a delicate situation.

7. capable of distinguishing subtle differences: a delicate sense of smell.

8. regardful of what is becoming or proper: a delicate sense of propriety.

9. choice: delicate tidbits.

10. squeamish: not a movie for the delicate viewer.

11. Obs. sensuous; voluptuous.

[1325–75; Middle English delicat < Latin dēlicātus luxury-loving, delicate]

del′i•cate•ly, adv.

del′i•cate•ness, n.

syn: delicate, dainty, exquisite imply beauty or subtle refinement such as might belong in rich surroundings. delicate suggests something fragile, soft, light, or fine: a delicate carving. dainty suggests a smallness, gracefulness, and beauty that forbids rough handling: a dainty handkerchief; of persons, it refers to fastidious sensibilities: a dainty eater. exquisite suggests an outstanding beauty and elegance that appeals to the most refined taste: an exquisite diamond ring.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

Thesaurus

Adj.	1.	delicate - exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury; "a delicate violin passage"; "delicate china"; "a delicate flavor"; "the delicate wing of a butterfly" breakable - capable of being broken or damaged; "earthenware pottery is breakable"; "breakable articles should be packed carefully" frail - physically weak; "an invalid's frail body" weak - wanting in physical strength; "a weak pillar" rugged - sturdy and strong in constitution or construction; enduring; "with a house full of boys you have to have rugged furniture"
	2.	delicate - marked by great skill especially in meticulous technique; "a surgeon's delicate touch" skilled - having or showing or requiring special skill; "only the most skilled gymnasts make an Olympic team"; "a skilled surgeon has many years of training and experience"; "a skilled reconstruction of her damaged elbow"; "a skilled trade"
	3.	delicate - easily broken or damaged or destroyed; "a kite too delicate to fly safely"; "fragile porcelain plates"; "fragile old bones"; "a frail craft" fragile, frail breakable - capable of being broken or damaged; "earthenware pottery is breakable"; "breakable articles should be packed carefully"
	4.	delicate - easily hurt; "soft hands"; "a baby's delicate skin" soft untoughened, tender - physically untoughened; "tender feet"
	5.	delicate - developed with extreme delicacy and subtlety; "the satire touches with finespun ridicule every kind of human pretense" finespun refined - (used of persons and their behavior) cultivated and genteel; "she was delicate and refined and unused to hardship"; "refined people with refined taste"
	6.	delicate - difficult to handle; requiring great tact; "delicate negotiations with the big powers";"hesitates to be explicit on so ticklish a matter"; "a touchy subject" ticklish, touchy difficult, hard - not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure; "a difficult task"; "nesting places on the cliffs are difficult of access"; "difficult times"; "why is it so hard for you to keep a secret?"
	7.	delicate - of an instrument or device; capable of registering minute differences or changes precisely; "almost undetectable with even the most delicate instruments" sensitive - responsive to physical stimuli; "a mimosa's leaves are sensitive to touch"; "a sensitive voltmeter"; "sensitive skin"; "sensitive to light"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

delicate

adjective

1. fine, detailed, elegant, exquisite, graceful china with a delicate design

2. subtle, fine, nice, soft, delicious, faint, refined, muted, subdued, pastel, understated, dainty The colours are delicate and tasteful.
subtle strong, bright, rough, harsh

3. fragile, weak, frail, brittle, tender, flimsy, dainty, breakable, frangible Although the material looks tough, it is very delicate.

4. sickly, weak, ailing, frail, feeble, unhealthy, debilitated, lacklustre, infirm, in poor health, indisposed She was physically delicate and psychologically unstable.
sickly strong, healthy

5. difficult, critical, sensitive, complicated, sticky (informal), problematic, precarious, thorny, touchy, knotty, ticklish the delicate issue of adoption

6. skilled, accurate, precise, deft A cosmetic surgeon performed the delicate operation.

7. fastidious, nice, critical, pure, Victorian, proper, refined, discriminating, stuffy, scrupulous, prim, puritanical, squeamish, prudish, prissy (informal), strait-laced, schoolmarmish (Brit. informal), old-maidish (informal) He didn't want to offend his mother's delicate sensibilities.
fastidious rough, crude

8. diplomatic, sensitive, careful, subtle, thoughtful, discreet, prudent, considerate, judicious, tactful a situation which requires delicate handling
diplomatic rough, harsh, insensitive, inconsiderate, indelicate

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

delicate

adjective

1. Appealing to refined taste:

choice, dainty, elegant, exquisite, fine.

2. Not physically strong:

decrepit, feeble, flimsy, fragile, frail, infirm, insubstantial, puny, unsound, unsubstantial, weak, weakly.

3. Easily broken or damaged:

breakable, brittle, fragile, frangible.

4. Showing sensitivity and skill in dealing with others:

diplomatic, discreet, politic, sensitive, tactful.

5. Requiring great tact or skill:

sensitive, ticklish, touch-and-go, touchy, tricky.

6. Free from severity or violence, as in movement:

balmy, faint, gentle, mild, smooth, soft.

7. Able to make or detect effects of great subtlety or precision:

fine, nice, subtle.

8. So slight as to be difficult to notice or appreciate:

fine, finespun, nice, refined, subtle.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

دَقيقرَقِيقلَذيذ، رَهيف، رَقيقناعِم، رَقيق

jemnýchoulostivýkřehkýožehavýrozklepaný

delikatfinfintmærkendelækkerømtålelig

feinheikelschmackhaftzartdelikat

λεπτεπίλεπτοςλεπτόςντελικάτος

delicadofrágilsuavetenuedifícil

hieno

délicatfin

delikatan

fíngerîurhárfínn, fíngerîurnæmurveikbyggîur, viîkvæmur

delicatofinefragilecagionevoleelegante

優美な

섬세한

gležnasjautruskeblusskanėstassubtiliai

delikātsgleznsjutīgsmaigssmalks

verfijnd

delikatfintfølendefølsomømtåligraffinert

delikatny

delicado

изящныйнежныйтонкий

finneženobčutljivprefinjentanek

känslig

ละเอียดอ่อน

hassasincenarinnazikyumuşak

mịn màng

娇嫩的微妙的清秀的精巧的精致的

delicate

[ˈdelɪkɪt] ADJ

1. (= fine, subtle) [features, fabric, workmanship, instrument] → delicado; [flavour, fragrance, food] → exquisito; [touch] → suave

2. (= fragile) [china, balance, ecosystem] → frágil; [person, health, skin, liver] → delicado
I'm feeling rather delicate this morning (hum) → estoy un tanto delicado esta mañana (hum)

3. (= sensitive, awkward) [situation, problem, task, negotiations] → delicado, difícil

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

delicate

[ˈdɛlɪkət] adj

(= dainty) [object] → délicat(e)

(= not strong) [flavour] → délicat(e)

(= fragile) [object, fabric] → délicat(e)

(= frail) [person, health] → délicat(e), fragile

(= difficult) [issue, matter, situation] → délicat(e)

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

delicate

adj

(= fine, dainty) → fein; colour → zart; food → delikat; flavour → fein; (= fragile) person, bones, china → zerbrechlich; fabric, flower, stomach → empfindlich; health, person → zart; in a delicate condition (dated euph) → in anderen Umständen; she’s feeling a bit delicate after the party → nach der Party fühlt sie sich etwas angeschlagen

(= sensitive) person → feinfühlig; manner → feinfühlig, delikat; instrument → empfindlich; task → fein; playing → gefühlvoll; he has a delicate touch (pianist, artist) → er hat sehr viel Gefühl

(= requiring skilful handling) operation, subject, situation → heikel, delikat

delicates

pl (= fabrics) → Feinwäsche f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

delicate

[ˈdɛlɪkɪt] adj (gen) → delicato/a; (workmanship, design) → fine

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

delicate

(ˈdelikət) adjective

1. requiring special treatment or careful handling. delicate china; a delicate situation/problem. fyn, delikaat دَقيق деликатен delicado křehký; choulostivý, ožehavý empfindlich sart; vanskelig; ømtålelig ευπαθής, ευαίσθητοςdelicado, frágil habras, delikaatne حساس؛ آسیب پذیر hauras délicatשברירי उत्कृष्ट, उत्तम, बढ़िया nježan, osjetljiv kényes mudah pecah veikbyggður, viðkvæmur delicato 細心の扱いを必要とする 세심한 주의를 요하는 trapus, subtilus, keblus smalks; delikāts; trausls halus breekbaar, gevoeligsart, fin, ømtålig, svakdelikatny تنكى، نازك، لطيف، خوندور، نفيس، حساس. دسليقې خاوند delicado delicat хрупкий; деликатный krehký; chúlostivý občutljiv delikatan klen, skör, ömtålig, delikat เปราะบาง nazik, hassas 精緻的，微妙的 витончений; делікатний نازک mỏng manh 精致的，微妙的

2. of fine texture etc; dainty. a delicate pattern; the delicate skin of a child. delikaat, sag, teer ناعِم، رَقيق нежен delicado jemný zart delikat; lækker λεπτός, ευπαθήςdelicado peen, õrn لطیف؛ دارای ظرافت و حساسیت hienosyinen finעדין सुकुमार mek, fin finom halus fíngerður delicato; raffinato 繊細な 섬세한 gležnas, dailus, švelnus smalks; glezns; maigs halus fijn, teersøt, sart, delikatdelikatny ، نازك، لطيف، خوندور، نفيس، حساس delicado fin тонкий; нежный jemný nežen nežan fin, utsökt ละเอียดอ่อน ince, narin 美好的，嬌嫩的 вишуканий; ніжний نرم و نازک mịn màng 美好的，娇嫩的

3. able to do fine, accurate work. a delicate instrument. fyn, gevoelig دَقيق деликатен delicado jemný fein fintmærkende; nøjagtigt ακριβείας, λεπτόςdelicado peen دقیق؛ حساس tarkka délicatעדין संवेदनशील spretan finom halus (hár)næmur delicato 精巧な 정교한 jautrus smalks; jutīgs seni gevoeligfintfølende, følsomczuły حساس delicado fin чувствительный lahodný, jemný fin, natančen prefinjen känslig อย่างประณีต duyarlı, hassas 精巧的 чутливий; точний ماہرانہ tinh vi 精巧的

4. subtle. a delicate wine; a delicate shade of blue. subtiel لَذيذ، رَهيف، رَقيق слаб sutil jemný schmackhaft, zart raffineret; fin; delikat απαλόςsuave, delicado õrn, peen خوشایند؛ ظریف hento délicatמעודן सूक्ष्म, बारीक tankoćutan finom tidak keras hárfínn, fíngerður delicato 微妙な 맛있는 subtilus smalks; maigs lemah lembut zachtraffinert, fin, delikat delikatnie خوندور subtil fin изысканный; тонкий jemný prefinjen prefinjen utsökt, läcker ละเอียดอ่อน açık, yumuşak 美味的 витончений; ніжний دقیق ngon; tinh tế 美味的

ˈdelicately adverb

omsigtig, versigtig بِنُعومَه، بِلَطافَه، بِرِقَّه фин delicadamente jemně, delikátně empfindlich, zart taktfuldt λεπτεπίλεπτα, απαλάdelicadamente delikaatselt با ظرافت؛ با دلپذیری herkästi délicatementבעדינות सुक्ष्मता के साथ nježno, osjetljivo finoman dengan halus fínlega; næmlega delicatamente 繊細に 미묘하게 subtiliai, švelniai smalki; delikāti; maigi dengan halus zacht, gevoeligfintfølende, raffinert delikatnie, czule په ظرافت سره delicadamente delicat, cu delicateţe деликатно delikátne nežno, rahlo prefinjeno utsökt, ömtåligt, delikat, känsligt อย่างละเอียดอ่อน özenle 巧妙地 витончено; делікатно نزاکت سے tinh vi; sắc sảo 巧妙地

ˈdelicacy – plural ˈdelicacies – noun

1. the state or quality of being delicate. fynheid, delikaatheid, sagtheid رِقَّه، نُعومَه، لَطافَه деликатност delicadeza jemnost, delikátnost die Zartheit finfølelse; sarthed ευαισθησία, λεπτότηταdelicadeza peenus, delikaatsus حساسیت؛ ظرافت hentous délicatesseעדינות कोमलता osjetljivost, obzirnost finomság kehalusan fínleiki; viðkvæmni delicatezza 繊細さ 세심한 주의를 요함 subtilumas, švelnumas smalkjūtība; smalkums; trauslums makanan istimewa gevoeligheid, teerheidsarthet, svak helse, finfølelse delikatność تنكى والى، نزاكت، لطافت، پوست والى، عياشى: حساسيت، يو خوند ورشى delicadeza delicateţe деликатность; утонченность jemnosť finost prefinjenost finhet, ömtålighet ความละเอียดอ่อน zerafet, incelik 精緻 делікатність; ніжність نفاست sự mềm mại 精致

2. something delicious and special to eat. Caviare is a delicacy. lekkerny, snoepery, delikatesses طَعامُ شَهِيُّ أو لَذيذ деликатес guloseima lahůdka die Delikatesse delikatesse λιχουδιάmanjar, exquisitez hõrgutis خوشمزگی؛ خوشایندی herkku mets délicatמעדן स्वादिष्ट भोजन delikatesa csemege sedap-sedapan lostæti squisitezza おいしいもの 진미 delikatesas, skanėstas gardums; delikatese sangat lazat delicatessedelikatesseprzysmak خوندور guloseima delicatesă деликатес lahôdka poslastica delikates delikatess อาหารที่มีรสอร่อย leziz yiyecek 美味 делікатес, ласощі عمدہ ، پر تکلف ، مہنگا کھانا cao lương mỹ vị 美味

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

delicate

→ رَقِيق jemný delikat fein λεπτεπίλεπτος delicado hieno délicat delikatan delicato 優美な 섬세한 verfijnd utsøkt delikatny delicado изящный känslig ละเอียดอ่อน hassas mịn màng 清秀的

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

del·i·cate

a. delicado-a; sensible; fino.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

delicate

adj delicado, frágil; (subject) delicado

English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.