Word Games Pro Dictionary

delicate

adjective

exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury

Quick reference

Word Facts

Word length
8
Starts with
D
Ends with
E
Contains
EL
Scrabble score
11
CEFR level
B1

How it sounds

Pronunciation

ˈdɛlɪkət

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Audio Pronunciation

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Meaning

Definitions

adjective

  1. exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury

    “a delicate violin passage”

adjective

  1. easily broken or damaged or destroyed

    “a kite too delicate to fly safely”

adjective

  1. difficult to handle; requiring great tact

    “delicate negotiations with the big powers”

adjective

  1. developed with extreme delicacy and subtlety

    “the satire touches with finespun ridicule every kind of human pretense”

adjective

  1. of an instrument or device; capable of registering minute differences or changes precisely

    “almost undetectable with even the most delicate instruments”

adjective

  1. marked by great skill especially in meticulous technique

    “a surgeon's delicate touch”

adjective

  1. easily hurt

    “soft hands”

In context

Example Sentences

a delicate violin passage
delicate china
a delicate flavor
the delicate wing of a butterfly
a kite too delicate to fly safely
fragile porcelain plates
fragile old bones
a frail craft
delicate negotiations with the big powers
hesitates to be explicit on so ticklish a matter
a touchy subject
the satire touches with finespun ridicule every kind of human pretense
almost undetectable with even the most delicate instruments
a surgeon's delicate touch
soft hands
a baby's delicate skin

Similar words

Synonyms

Opposite words

Antonyms

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