delicate

del·i·cate  (dl-kt)

adj.

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

2. Exquisitely fine or dainty: delicate china.

3. Frail in constitution or health.

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

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

6.

a. Considerate of the feelings of others.

b. Concerned with propriety.

c. Squeamish or fastidious.

7. Requiring tactful treatment: a delicate situation.

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

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

10. Very subtle in difference or distinction.

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

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deli·cate·ly adv.

deli·cate·ness n.

Synonyms: delicate, choice, dainty, elegant, exquisite, fine¹
These adjectives mean appealing to refined taste: a delicate flavor; choice exotic flowers; a dainty dish; elegant handwriting; an exquisite wine; the finest embroidery. See Also Synonyms at fragile.

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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

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

delicately  adv

delicateness  n

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"

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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

Translations

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

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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)

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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

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

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delicate

adj delicate [ˈdelikət]

1 requiring special treatment or careful handling delicate china; a delicate situation/problem. fyn, delikaat دَقيق деликатен křehký; choulostivý, ožehavý sart; vanskelig; ømtålelig empfindlich ευπαθής, ευαίσθητος delicado, frágil habras, delikaatne حساس؛ آسیب پذیر hauras délicat שַּׁברִירִי 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, gevoelig sart, fin, ømtålig, svak delikatny 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 jemný delikat; lækker zart λεπτός, ευπαθής delicado peen, õrn لطیف؛ دارای ظرافت و حساسیت hienosyinen fin עָדִין सुकुमार mek,fin finom halus fíngerður delicato; raffinato 繊細な 섬세한 gležnas, dailus, švelnus smalks; glezns; maigs halus fijn, teer søt, sart, delikat delikatny 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 jemný fintmærkende; nøjagtigt fein ακριβείας, λεπτός delicado peen دقیق؛ حساس tarkka délicat עָדִין संवेदनशील spretan finom halus (hár)næmur delicato 精巧な 정교한 jautrus smalks; jutīgs seni gevoelig fintfølende, følsom czuły 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 jemný raffineret; fin; delikat schmackhaft, zart απαλός suave, delicado õrn, peen خوشایند؛ ظریف hento délicat מְעוּדָן सूक्ष्म, बारीक tankoćutan finom tidak keras hárfínn, fíngerður delicato 微妙な 맛있는 subtilus smalks; maigs lemah lembut zacht raffinert, fin, delikat delikatnie subtil fin изысканный; тонкий jemný prefinjen prefinjen utsökt, läcker ยุ่งยาก açık, yumuşak 美味的 витончений; ніжний دقیق ngon; tinh tế 美味的

adv delicately

omsigtig, versigtig بِنُعومَه، بِلَطافَه، بِرِقَّه фин jemně, delikátně taktfuldt empfindlich, zart λεπτεπίλεπτα, απαλά delicadamente delikaatselt با ظرافت؛ با دلپذیری hienosti, herkästi délicatement בְּעָדינוּת सुक्ष्मता के साथ nježno,osjetljivo finoman dengan halus fínlega; næmlega delicatamente 繊細に 신중하게, 섬세하게, 부드럽게 subtiliai, švelniai smalki; delikāti; maigi dengan halus zacht, gevoelig fintfølende, raffinert delikatnie, czule 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

n delicacy

1 the state or quality of being delicate. fynheid, delikaatheid, sagtheid رِقَّه، نُعومَه، لَطافَه деликатност jemnost, delikátnost finfølelse; sarthed die Zartheit ευαισθησία, λεπτότητα delicadeza peenus, delikaatsus حساسیت؛ ظرافت hentous délicatesse עָדִינוּת कोमलता osjetljivost, obzirnost finomság kehalusan fínleiki; viðkvæmni delicatezza 繊細さ 세심한 주의를 요함 subtilumas, švelnumas smalkjūtība; smalkums; trauslums makanan istimewa gevoeligheid, teerheid sarthet, svak helse, finfølelse delikatność delicadeza delicateţe деликатность; утончённость 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 lahůdka delikatesse die Delikatesse λιχουδιά manjar, exquisitez hõrgutis خوشمزگی؛ خوشایندی herkku mets délicat מַעֲדַן स्वादिष्ट भोजन delikatesa csemege sedap-sedapan lostæti squisitezza おいしいもの 진미 delikatesas, skanėstas gardums; delikatese sangat lazat delicatesse delikatesse przysmak guloseima delicatesă деликатес lahôdka poslastica delikates delikatess อาหารราคาแพง leziz yiyecek 美味 делікатес, ласощі عمدہ ، پر تکلف ، مہنگا کھانا cao lương mỹ vị 美味

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delicate → رقيق jemný delikat fein λεπτεπίλεπτος delicado hieno délicat delikatan delicato 優美な 섬세한 verfijnd utsøkt delikatny delicado утонченный känslig ละเอียดอ่อน hassas mịn màng 脆弱的