'Delicate' definitions:
Definition of 'delicate'
From: WordNet
adjective
Exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury; "a delicate violin passage"; "delicate china"; "a delicate flavor"; "the delicate wing of a butterfly" [ant: rugged]
adjective
Marked by great skill especially in meticulous technique; "a surgeon's delicate touch"
adjective
Easily broken or damaged or destroyed; "a kite too delicate to fly safely"; "fragile porcelain plates"; "fragile old bones"; "a frail craft" [syn: delicate, fragile, frail]
adjective
Easily hurt; "soft hands"; "a baby's delicate skin" [syn: delicate, soft]
adjective
Developed with extreme delicacy and subtlety; "the satire touches with finespun ridicule every kind of human pretense" [syn: finespun, delicate]
adjective
Difficult to handle; requiring great tact; "delicate negotiations with the big powers";"hesitates to be explicit on so ticklish a matter"; "a touchy subject" [syn: delicate, ticklish, touchy]
adjective
Of an instrument or device; capable of registering minute differences or changes precisely; "almost undetectable with even the most delicate instruments"
Definition of 'Delicate'
From: GCIDE
- Delicate \Del"i*cate\, a. [L. delicatus pleasing the senses, voluptuous, soft and tender; akin to deliciae delight: cf. F. d['e]licat. See Delight.]
- 1. Addicted to pleasure; luxurious; voluptuous; alluring. [R.] [1913 Webster]
- Dives, for his delicate life, to the devil went. --Piers Plowman. [1913 Webster]
- Haarlem is a very delicate town. --Evelyn. [1913 Webster]
- 2. Pleasing to the senses; refinedly agreeable; hence, adapted to please a nice or cultivated taste; nice; fine; elegant; as, a delicate dish; delicate flavor. [1913 Webster]
- 3. Slight and shapely; lovely; graceful; as, "a delicate creature." --Shak. [1913 Webster]
- 4. Fine or slender; minute; not coarse; -- said of a thread, or the like; as, delicate cotton. [1913 Webster]
- 5. Slight or smooth; light and yielding; -- said of texture; as, delicate lace or silk. [1913 Webster]
- 6. Soft and fair; -- said of the skin or a surface; as, a delicate cheek; a delicate complexion. [1913 Webster]
- 7. Light, or softly tinted; -- said of a color; as, a delicate blue. [1913 Webster]
- 8. Refined; gentle; scrupulous not to trespass or offend; considerate; -- said of manners, conduct, or feelings; as, delicate behavior; delicate attentions; delicate thoughtfulness. [1913 Webster]
- 9. Tender; not able to endure hardship; feeble; frail; effeminate; -- said of constitution, health, etc.; as, a delicate child; delicate health. [1913 Webster]
- A delicate and tender prince. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
- 10. Requiring careful handling; not to be rudely or hastily dealt with; nice; critical; as, a delicate subject or question. [1913 Webster]
- There are some things too delicate and too sacred to be handled rudely without injury to truth. --F. W. Robertson. [1913 Webster]
- 11. Of exacting tastes and habits; dainty; fastidious. [1913 Webster]
- 12. Nicely discriminating or perceptive; refinedly critical; sensitive; exquisite; as, a delicate taste; a delicate ear for music. [1913 Webster]
- 13. Affected by slight causes; showing slight changes; as, a delicate thermometer. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'Delicate'
From: GCIDE
- Delicate \Del"i*cate\, n.
- 1. A choice dainty; a delicacy. [R.] [1913 Webster]
- With abstinence all delicates he sees. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]
- 2. A delicate, luxurious, or effeminate person. [1913 Webster]
- All the vessels, then, which our delicates have, -- those I mean that would seem to be more fine in their houses than their neighbors, -- are only of the Corinth metal. --Holland. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'delicate'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- abstruse,
- accommodating,
- accommodative,
- accurate,
- adept,
- aerial,
- agreeable,
- airy,
- allergic,
- ambrosial,
- anaphylactic,
- appreciative,
- arduous,
- attentive,
- attenuate,
- attenuated,
- balmy,
- becoming,
- boyish,
- breakable,
- brittle,
- brittle as glass,
- brutal,
- careful,
- cautious,
- cheap-jack,
- civilized,
- close,
- cobwebby,
- complaisant,
- complex,
- conscientious,
- considerate,
- constant,
- correct,
- coy,
- crackable,
- creamy,
- crisp,
- crispy,
- critical,
- crumbly,
- crushable,
- cultivated,
- cultured,
- cunning,
- cute,
- dainty,
- dangerous,
- debilitated,
- decent,
- decorous,
- decrepit,
- delectable,
- delicat,
- delicately weak,
- delicious,
- delightful,
- demanding,
- demure,
- detailed,
- diaphanous,
- differential,
- difficile,
- difficult,
- diluted,
- diplomatic,
- direct,
- discerning,
- discreet,
- discriminate,
- discriminating,
- discriminative,
- distinctive,
- distinguishing,
- downy,
- easy,
- effeminate,
- eggshell,
- elegant,
- emotionable,
- empathetic,
- empathic,
- enfeebled,
- ethereal,
- even,
- exact,
- exacting,
- exigent,
- expert,
- express,
- exquisite,
- faint,
- faithful,
- fastidious,
- feeble,
- filmy,
- fine,
- fine-drawn,
- fine-grained,
- finespun,
- finical,
- finicking,
- finicky,
- fissile,
- flat,
- flimsy,
- fluffy,
- foresighted,
- formidable,
- fracturable,
- fragile,
- frail,
- frangible,
- friable,
- fussy,
- fuzzy,
- gauzy,
- gentle,
- gimcrack,
- gimcracky,
- girlish,
- gloss,
- good,
- good to eat,
- good-tasting,
- goosy,
- gossamer,
- gossamery,
- graceful,
- gracile,
- gracious,
- gradual,
- gustable,
- gusty,
- hair-trigger,
- hairline,
- hairsplitting,
- hairy,
- hard,
- hard-earned,
- hard-fought,
- heedful,
- helpful,
- Herculean,
- hyperesthetic,
- hyperpathic,
- hypersensitive,
- impressionable,
- indulgent,
- inerrable,
- inerrant,
- infallible,
- infirm,
- insubstantial,
- intricate,
- iridescent,
- irritable,
- itchy,
- jawbreaking,
- jerry,
- jerry-built,
- juicy,
- knotted,
- knotty,
- laborious,
- lacerable,
- lacy,
- lenient,
- light,
- lightweight,
- likable,
- luscious,
- lush,
- masterly,
- mathematical,
- mean,
- mellow,
- mellowy,
- meticulous,
- micrometrically precise,
- microscopic,
- mignon,
- mild,
- mindful,
- mindful of others,
- minute,
- misty,
- modest,
- mollified,
- mother-of-pearl,
- muted,
- nacreous,
- namby-pamby,
- narrow,
- nervous,
- nice,
- no picnic,
- nonresistive,
- nonrigid,
- not easy,
- obliging,
- of gourmet quality,
- on slippery ground,
- on thin ice,
- opalescent,
- operose,
- overrefined,
- oversensible,
- oversensitive,
- overtender,
- palatable,
- pale,
- papery,
- particular,
- passible,
- pasteboardy,
- pastel,
- patinaed,
- pearly,
- perceptive,
- perishable,
- persnickety,
- pinpoint,
- pleasing,
- polished,
- politic,
- precarious,
- precise,
- precisianistic,
- precisionistic,
- prickly,
- proficient,
- proper,
- prudent,
- prudish,
- pubescent,
- punctilious,
- punctual,
- puny,
- puristic,
- queasy,
- quiet,
- rare,
- rarefied,
- receptive,
- recherche,
- refined,
- regardful,
- religious,
- religiously exact,
- responsive,
- rigid,
- rigorous,
- rough,
- rugged,
- sad,
- sapid,
- satin,
- satiny,
- savorous,
- savory,
- scientific,
- scientifically exact,
- scissile,
- scrumptious,
- scrupulous,
- scrutinizing,
- seemly,
- select,
- selective,
- semigloss,
- sensible,
- sensitive,
- set with thorns,
- severe,
- shatterable,
- shattery,
- shivery,
- sickly,
- silky,
- simple,
- sissified,
- skittish,
- sleazy,
- slender,
- slenderish,
- slight,
- slight-made,
- slim,
- slimmish,
- slinky,
- slippery,
- slippy,
- small,
- smooth,
- sober,
- soft,
- soft as putty,
- soft-colored,
- soft-hued,
- softened,
- softhearted,
- solicitous,
- somber,
- sophisticated,
- spiny,
- splintery,
- square,
- squeamish,
- steep,
- sticky,
- strenuous,
- strict,
- subdued,
- subtile,
- subtle,
- succulent,
- superior,
- supersensitive,
- susceptible,
- svelte,
- sweet,
- sylphlike,
- sympathetic,
- tacky,
- tactful,
- tactical,
- tasty,
- tender,
- tenderhearted,
- tenuous,
- tetchy,
- thin,
- thin-bodied,
- thin-set,
- thin-skinned,
- thin-spun,
- thinnish,
- thorny,
- thoughtful,
- threadlike,
- ticklish,
- toilsome,
- tolerant,
- toothsome,
- touch-and-go,
- touchy,
- tough,
- tricky,
- uncertain,
- undeviating,
- unerring,
- unhealthy,
- unpredictable,
- unsubstantial,
- uphill,
- vague,
- velutinous,
- velvety,
- Victorian,
- volatile,
- vulnerable,
- warmhearted,
- wary,
- wasp-waisted,
- watered,
- watered-down,
- watery,
- weak,
- weakened,
- whisper-soft,
- wicked,
- willowy,
- wiredrawn,
- wispy,
- womanish,
- yummy