- exquisite, fine, or subtle in quality, character, construction, etc
- having a soft or fragile beauty
- (of colour, tone, taste, etc) pleasantly subtle, soft, or faint
- easily damaged or injured; lacking robustness, esp in health; fragile
- precise, skilled, or sensitive in action or operation: a delicate mechanism
- requiring tact and diplomacy
- excessively refined; squeamish
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
del•i•cate /ˈdɛlɪkɪt/USA pronunciation
adj.
del•i•cate•ness, n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- relating to or marked by delicacy.
- so fine as to be scarcely felt or sensed:a light, delicate flavor.
- soft or faint, as in color:Paint the walls a delicate blue.
- requiring great care, caution, or tact:delicate negotiations; a delicate topic.
- capable of noticing or distinguishing subtle differences;
sensitive:That instrument is so delicate it can detect earthquakes thousands of miles away. - easily disgusted;
squeamish:a violent movie not for the delicate viewer.
del•i•cate•ness, n. [uncountable]
del•i•cate
(del′i kit),USA pronunciation adj.
n.
del′i•cate•ly, adv.
del′i•cate•ness, n.
- fine in texture, quality, construction, etc.:a delicate lace collar.
- fragile;
easily damaged;
frail:delicate porcelain; a delicate child. - so fine as to be scarcely perceptible;
subtle:a delicate flavor. - soft or faint, as color:a delicate shade of pink.
- fine or precise in action or execution;
capable of responding to the slightest influence:a delicate instrument. - requiring great care, caution, or tact:a delicate international situation.
- distinguishing subtle differences:a delicate eye; a delicate sense of smell.
- exquisite or refined in perception or feeling;
sensitive. - regardful of what is becoming, proper, etc.:a delicate sense of propriety.
- mindful of or sensitive to the feelings of others:a delicate refusal.
- dainty or choice, as food:delicate tidbits.
- primly fastidious;
squeamish:not a movie for the delicate viewer. - [Obs.]sensuous;
voluptuous.
n.
- [Archaic.]a choice food;
delicacy. - [Obs.]a source of pleasure;
luxury.
- Latin dēlicātus delightful, dainty; akin to delicious
- Middle English delicat 1325–75
del′i•cate•ness, n.
- 1. Delicate, dainty, exquisite imply beauty such as belongs to rich surroundings or which needs careful treatment. Delicate, used of an object, suggests fragility, small size, and often very fine workmanship:a delicate piece of carving.Dainty, in concrete references, suggests a smallness, gracefulness, and beauty that forbid rough handling:a dainty handkerchief;
of persons, it refers to fastidious sensibilities:dainty in eating habits.Exquisite suggests an outstanding beauty and elegance, or a discriminating sensitivity and ability to perceive fine distinctions:an exquisite sense of humor. 2. tender, slight, weak. 5. exact, accurate. 6. critical, precarious. 7. discriminating, careful.
- 1. 2. coarse. 3. hard, crude.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
delicate /ˈdɛlɪkɪt/ adj