- coarse, crude, or rough
- offensive, embarrassing, or tasteless
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
in•del•i•cate /ɪnˈdɛlɪkɪt/USA pronunciation
adj.
in•del•i•cate•ly, adv.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- rather offensive; rude:indelicate language.
in•del•i•cate•ly, adv.
in•del•i•cate
(in del′i kit),USA pronunciation adj.
in•del′i•cate•ly, adv.
in•del′i•cate•ness, n.
- offensive to a sense of generally accepted propriety, modesty, or decency;
improper, unrefined, or coarse:indelicate language. - not delicate;
lacking delicacy;
rough.
- in-3 + delicate 1735–45
in•del′i•cate•ness, n.
- 1. indecorous, untactful, gauche, rude.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
indelicate /ɪnˈdɛlɪkɪt/ adj
'indelicate' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
coarse
- double entendre
- off colour
- scabrous
- broad
- coarse-grained
- crass
- gross
- indecent
- indelicacy
- racy
- sir-reverence