Definitions for delicate
ˈdɛl ɪ kɪtdel·i·cate

Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. delicate(adj)

   exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury

   "a delicate violin passage"; "delicate china"; "a delicate flavor"; "the delicate wing of a butterfly"

2. delicate(adj)

   marked by great skill especially in meticulous technique

   "a surgeon's delicate touch"

3. delicate, fragile, frail(adj)

   easily broken or damaged or destroyed

   "a kite too delicate to fly safely"; "fragile porcelain plates"; "fragile old bones"; "a frail craft"

4. delicate, soft(adj)

   easily hurt

   "soft hands"; "a baby's delicate skin"

5. finespun, delicate(adj)

   developed with extreme delicacy and subtlety

   "the satire touches with finespun ridicule every kind of human pretense"

6. delicate, ticklish, touchy(adj)

   difficult to handle; requiring great tact

   "delicate negotiations with the big powers";"hesitates to be explicit on so ticklish a matter"; "a touchy subject"

7. delicate(adj)

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

   "almost undetectable with even the most delicate instruments"

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. delicate(Noun)

   A delicate item of clothing, especially underwear or lingerie.

   Don't put that in with your jeans: it's a delicate!

2. delicate(Noun)

   A choice dainty; a delicacy.

   With abstinence all delicates he sees. uE000104742uE001 Dryden.

3. delicate(Noun)

   A delicate, luxurious, or effeminate person.

   All the vessels, then, which our delicates have, uE000104743uE001 those I mean that would seem to be more fine in their houses than their neighbours, uE000104744uE001 are only of the Corinth metal. uE000104745uE001 Holland.

4. delicate(Adjective)

   Easily damaged or requiring careful handling.

5. delicate(Adjective)

   Characterized by a fine structure or thin lines.

6. delicate(Adjective)

   Intended for use with fragile items.

   Set the washing machine to the delicate cycle

7. delicate(Adjective)

   Of weak health, easily sick.

8. delicate(Adjective)

   Unwell, especially because of having drunk too much alcohol.

   Please don't speak so loudly - I'm feeling a bit delicate this morning

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Delicate(adj)

   addicted to pleasure; luxurious; voluptuous; alluring

   Etymology: [L. delicatus pleasing the senses, voluptuous, soft and tender; akin to deliciae delight: cf. F. dlicat. See Delight.]

2. Delicate(adj)

   pleasing to the senses; refinedly agreeable; hence, adapted to please a nice or cultivated taste; nice; fine; elegant; as, a delicate dish; delicate flavor

   Etymology: [L. delicatus pleasing the senses, voluptuous, soft and tender; akin to deliciae delight: cf. F. dlicat. See Delight.]

3. Delicate(adj)

   slight and shapely; lovely; graceful; as, "a delicate creature."

   Etymology: [L. delicatus pleasing the senses, voluptuous, soft and tender; akin to deliciae delight: cf. F. dlicat. See Delight.]

4. Delicate(adj)

   fine or slender; minute; not coarse; -- said of a thread, or the like; as, delicate cotton

   Etymology: [L. delicatus pleasing the senses, voluptuous, soft and tender; akin to deliciae delight: cf. F. dlicat. See Delight.]

5. Delicate(adj)

   slight or smooth; light and yielding; -- said of texture; as, delicate lace or silk

   Etymology: [L. delicatus pleasing the senses, voluptuous, soft and tender; akin to deliciae delight: cf. F. dlicat. See Delight.]

6. Delicate(adj)

   soft and fair; -- said of the skin or a surface; as, a delicate cheek; a delicate complexion

   Etymology: [L. delicatus pleasing the senses, voluptuous, soft and tender; akin to deliciae delight: cf. F. dlicat. See Delight.]

7. Delicate(adj)

   light, or softly tinted; -- said of a color; as, a delicate blue

   Etymology: [L. delicatus pleasing the senses, voluptuous, soft and tender; akin to deliciae delight: cf. F. dlicat. See Delight.]

8. Delicate(adj)

   refined; gentle; scrupulous not to trespass or offend; considerate; -- said of manners, conduct, or feelings; as, delicate behavior; delicate attentions; delicate thoughtfulness

   Etymology: [L. delicatus pleasing the senses, voluptuous, soft and tender; akin to deliciae delight: cf. F. dlicat. See Delight.]

9. Delicate(adj)

   tender; not able to endure hardship; feeble; frail; effeminate; -- said of constitution, health, etc.; as, a delicate child; delicate health

   Etymology: [L. delicatus pleasing the senses, voluptuous, soft and tender; akin to deliciae delight: cf. F. dlicat. See Delight.]

10. Delicate(adj)

    requiring careful handling; not to be rudely or hastily dealt with; nice; critical; as, a delicate subject or question

    Etymology: [L. delicatus pleasing the senses, voluptuous, soft and tender; akin to deliciae delight: cf. F. dlicat. See Delight.]

11. Delicate(adj)

    of exacting tastes and habits; dainty; fastidious

    Etymology: [L. delicatus pleasing the senses, voluptuous, soft and tender; akin to deliciae delight: cf. F. dlicat. See Delight.]

12. Delicate(adj)

    nicely discriminating or perceptive; refinedly critical; sensitive; exquisite; as, a delicate taste; a delicate ear for music

    Etymology: [L. delicatus pleasing the senses, voluptuous, soft and tender; akin to deliciae delight: cf. F. dlicat. See Delight.]

13. Delicate(adj)

    affected by slight causes; showing slight changes; as, a delicate thermometer

    Etymology: [L. delicatus pleasing the senses, voluptuous, soft and tender; akin to deliciae delight: cf. F. dlicat. See Delight.]

14. Delicate(noun)

    a choice dainty; a delicacy

    Etymology: [L. delicatus pleasing the senses, voluptuous, soft and tender; akin to deliciae delight: cf. F. dlicat. See Delight.]

15. Delicate(noun)

    a delicate, luxurious, or effeminate person

    Etymology: [L. delicatus pleasing the senses, voluptuous, soft and tender; akin to deliciae delight: cf. F. dlicat. See Delight.]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Delicate

   del′i-kāt, adj. pleasing to the senses, esp. the taste: dainty: nicely discriminating or perceptive: of a fine, slight texture or constitution: tender: frail, not robust: requiring nice handling: refined in manners: gentle, polite, considerate: luxurious.—n. Del′icacy, state or quality of being delicate: refinement: nicety: tenderness, weakness: luxuriousness: anything delicate or dainty.—adv. Del′icately, in a delicate manner: (B.) luxuriously.—n. Del′icateness, state of being delicate: (B.) delicacy, luxury.—n.pl. Del′icates (B.), delicacies. [L. delicātus—deliciæ, allurements, luxury—delicĕre—de, inten., lacĕre, to entice.]

British National Corpus

1. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'delicate' in Adjectives Frequency: #676

How to pronounce delicate?

1. Alex

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

How to say delicate in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of delicate in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of delicate in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of delicate in a Sentence

1. Interior Minister Angelino Alfano:

   I have informed the cabinet that I intend to empower the prefect of Rome so that he can oversee projects and planning with the mayor in eight especially delicate areas.

2. Jen Robertson:

   At this point in the cycle, equity investors are trying to take any incremental news positively while fixed income investors are not, it's quite delicate at the moment and any negative news out of first quarter earnings could impact this sharp bounce.

3. Raymond Chandler:

   It is a mass language only in the same sense that its baseball slang is born of baseball players. That is, it is a language which is being molded by writers to do delicate things and yet be within the grasp of superficially educated people. It is not a natural growth, much as its proletarian writers would like to think so. But compared with it at its best, English has reached the Alexandrian stage of formalism and decay.

4. Rodger Baker:

   Rodger Baker, vice president of Strategic Analysis at Stratfor, told FoxNews.com. ‘ It’s actually a delicate situation. As the world is uncertain of what the U.S. will do with a new president coming in, China is looking to shape themselves in the next year or two as having a willingness to be a part of solutions.

5. Charles Sydney Gibbes:

   “He had a, ‘presence,’ that was second to none, so full of quiet and assured self-possession and dignity. But it never inspired fear. The deepest sentiment that it invoked was awe, not fear. I think the reason for this was his eyes. Yes, I am sure that it was his eyes, so wonderful were they. Of the most delicate, shade of blue, they looked you straight in the face with the kindest, tenderest, most loving expression…His eyes were so clear that it seemed as if he opened the whole of his soul to your gaze, a soul that was so simple and pure that it did not fear your scrutiny…That was his great charm and this was politically his great weakness.”

Images & Illustrations of delicate

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