Delicate — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun /ˈde-li-kət/ del·i·cate

Meaning & Definition of Delicate

Delicate (adjective)

  1. pleasing to the senses:
  2. generally pleasant
  3. pleasing to the sense of taste or smell especially in a mild or subtle way

Delicate (noun)

  1. something delicate —usually used in plural

Delicate (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. satisfying or pleasing because of fineness or mildness

    "a heavy sauce would spoil the delicate flavor of this fish"

    similar: airy, dainty, exquisite, nuanced, refined, subtle
    related: choice, elegant, extraordinary, incomparable, peerless, preeminent, prime, rare, select, superior, superlative, supreme, transcendent, unsurpassed, picked, selected, fine, fragile, frail
    opposite: robust, strong, sturdy
    near: coarse, crude, rough, common, ordinary, average, fair, indifferent, mediocre, medium, middling, run-of-the-mill, second-rate

  2. able to sense slight impressions or differences

    "only a person with delicate taste buds could tell the difference between these two wines"

    similar: acute, fine, keen, perceptive, quick, sensitive, sharp
    related: accurate, clear, discerning, good, piercing, precise, receptive, sensible, subtle, hair-trigger, hyperacute, hypersensitive, oversensitive, supersensitive
    near: bad, deadened, dimmed, dull, dulled, fading, dead, imperceptive, insensible, insensitive, numb, imprecise, inaccurate

  3. accomplished with trained ability

    "the delicate handling of a difficult diplomatic situation"

    similar: adroit, artful, bravura, deft, dexterous, expert, masterful, masterly, practiced, skillful, virtuoso, workmanlike
    related: facile, smooth, artistic, creative, fancy, ingenious, neat, adept, clever, cunning, able, adequate, capable, competent
    opposite: amateur, amateurish, artless, rude, unprofessional, unskillful
    near: awkward, clumsy, crude, klutzy, ineffective, ineffectual, incompetent, inept

  4. easily broken

    "delicate glassware that must be carefully wrapped for shipping"

    similar: breakable, fragile, frail, frangible
    related: dainty, fine, gossamer, eggshell, flimsy, slight, tenuous, brittle, crisp, crispy, crumbly, crushable, embrittled, flaky, friable, shaky, shivery, short, feeble, infirm, soft, spindly, tender, weak, inelastic, inflexible, stiff
    opposite: infrangible, nonbreakable, strong, sturdy, tough, unbreakable
    near: compact, firm, hard, rigid, solid, substantial, unyielding, elastic, flexible, resilient, rubberlike, rubbery, springy, stretch, stretchable, supple

  5. easily injured without careful handling

    "the delicate ecosystem of the wetlands"

    similar: fragile, frail, sensitive, tender
    related: breakable, brittle, crushable, eggshell, frangible, friable, feeble, flimsy, puny, slight, soft, tenuous, weak, nonhardy, perishable, resistless, susceptible, unresistant, vulnerable, yielding
    opposite: tough
    near: durable, firm, flinty, hard, hardy, resistant, robust, rugged, solid, sound, stiff, stout, strong, sturdy, substantial, infrangible, nonbreakable, unbreakable, hardened, inured, strengthened, tempered, toughened

  6. hard to please

    "a person of delicate tastes"

    similar: choosy, dainty, demanding, exacting, fastidious, finical, finicking, finicky, fussbudgety, fussy, nice, old-maidish, particular, pernickety (chiefly British), persnickety, picky
    related: hyperfastidious, overdemanding, ultrafastidious, discerning, discriminating, selective, insightful, knowledgeable, captious, carping, caviling, critical, faultfinding, hypercritical, overcritical, careful, meticulous, painstaking, punctilious, scrupulous, queasy, squeamish, peevish, petulant, prickly, touchy, niminy-piminy, prim, prissy
    opposite: undemanding, unfastidious, unfussy
    near: affable, breezy, carefree, devil-may-care, happy-go-lucky, lackadaisical, laid-back, low-pressure, relaxed, flexible, lax, loose, lenient, permissive, uncritical, indiscriminating, undiscriminating

  7. having qualities that appeal to a refined taste

    "delicate perfumes that only a connoisseur of scents would appreciate"

    similar: choice, dainty, elegant, exquisite, fine, rare, recherché, select
    related: bijou, jewellike, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, special, elite, exclusive, classic, excellent, fabulous, first-class, first-rate, grand, great, marvelous, noble, outstanding, par excellence, premium, prime, sensational, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, transcendent, unsurpassed, wonderful, ultrarare
    near: coarse, gross, kitsch, kitschy, lowbrow, raffish, rough, rough-hewn, tasteless, uncultivated, uncultured, unpolished, unrefined, vulgar, commercial, mass-produced, popular, common, ordinary, average, lesser, mediocre, run-of-the-mill, run-of-the-mine, second-class, second-rate, deficient, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, wanting

  8. lacking bodily strength

    "a delicate child who was never allowed to play sports"

    similar: asthenic, debilitated, down-and-out, effete, enervated, enfeebled, faint, feeble, frail, infirm, languid, low, prostrate, prostrated, sapped, slight, soft, softened, tender, unsubstantial, wasted, weak, weakened, wimpish, wimpy
    related: disabled, incapacitated, invalid, paralyzed, broken-down, decrepit, impotent, powerless, breakable, flimsy, fragile, dizzy, groggy, rocky, unsteady, woozy, drained, exhausted, flagging, tired, weary, worn-out, damaged, harmed, hurt, impaired, injured, unsound, resistless, susceptible, unresistant, vulnerable, yielding
    opposite: mighty, powerful, rugged, stalwart, stout, strong
    near: able-bodied, athletic, beefy, brawny, fit, husky, muscular, sinewy, strapping, virile, hard, hardy, lusty, red-blooded, robust, sturdy, tough, fortified, hardened, inured, strengthened, toughened, energetic, energized, invigorated, vigorous, vitalized, hale, healthy, sound, capable, competent, convalescing, recovering, recuperating

  9. made or done with extreme care and accuracy

    "delicate measurements of brain tumors that are only possible using the latest medical technology"

    similar: exact, fine, finespun, hairline, hairsplitting, minute, nice, nuanced, refined, subtle
    related: nitpicking, quibbling, frivolous, inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, negligible, petty, piddling, trifling, trivial, demanding, exacting, fastidious, finical, finicking, finicky, fussy, meticulous, particular, picky
    opposite: coarse, inexact, rough
    near: apparent, clear, clear-cut, evident, manifest, obvious, open-and-shut, palpable, patent, perspicuous, plain, transparent, unambiguous, unequivocal, unmistakable, broad, indefinite, careless, heedless, incautious, slapdash, slipshod, sloppy

  10. meeting the highest standard of accuracy

    "extremely delicate instruments such as an atomic clock"

    similar: accurate, close, exact, fine, hairline, mathematical, pinpoint, precise, refined, rigorous, spot-on
    related: correct, right, strict, true, definite, definitive, nice, subtle, careful, fastidious, finical, finicky, meticulous
    opposite: coarse, imprecise, inaccurate, inexact, rough
    near: approximate, round, false, incorrect, untrue, wrong, careless, loose, indefinite, unclear, vague, doubtful, dubious, questionable, unreliable, untrustworthy

  11. not harsh or stern especially in nature or effect

    "a delicate breeze was floating in from the open window"

    similar: balmy, benign, bland, gentle, light, mellow, mild, nonabrasive, soft, soothing, tender
    related: calm, pacific, peaceful, placid, quiet, serene, tranquil, clement, compassionate, easy, lenient, merciful, buffering, cushioning, emollient, softening, sleek, slick, smooth
    opposite: abrasive, caustic, coarse, hard, harsh, rough, scathing, stern, ungentle
    near: exquisite, fierce, intense, powerful, severe, forceful, forcible, savage, violent, roughened, rugged, strong, abrading, irritating, roughening, grim, gruff, rude, stiff, heavy-handed, oppressive, pitiless, tyrannical

  12. requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling

    "the delicate challenge of inviting two people who don't like each other to the same party"

    similar: catchy, difficult, dodgy (chiefly British), hairy, knotty, nasty, prickly, problematic, sensitive, spiny, sticky, thorny, ticklish, touchy, tough, tricksy, tricky
    related: abstract, abstruse, complex, complicated, hard, intricate, involved, recondite, serious, problem, scabrous, stubborn, troublesome, troublous, vexatious, vexing, worrisome, burdensome, demanding, discommoding, exacting, exhausting, importunate, inconvenient, onerous, oppressive, painful, stressful
    near: easy, effortless, manageable, painless, simple, straightforward, uncomplicated, undemanding, unproblematic

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Delicate

The most common words with a similar meaning to Delicate:

Chiefly British: pernickety, dodgy
airy, dainty, exquisite, nuanced, refined, subtle, acute, fine, keen, perceptive, quick, sensitive, sharp, adroit, artful, bravura, deft, dexterous, expert, masterful, masterly, practiced, skillful, virtuoso, workmanlike, breakable, fragile, frail, frangible, tender, choosy, demanding, exacting, fastidious, finical, finicking, finicky, fussbudgety, fussy, nice

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Delicate

Words with the opposite meaning of Delicate:

robust, strong, sturdy, amateur, amateurish, artless, rude, unprofessional, unskillful, infrangible, nonbreakable, tough, unbreakable, undemanding, unfastidious, unfussy, mighty, powerful, rugged, stalwart, stout, coarse, inexact, rough, imprecise, inaccurate, abrasive, caustic, hard, harsh

Related Words for Delicate

extraordinary, incomparable, peerless, preeminent, prime, superior, superlative, supreme, transcendent, unsurpassed, picked, selected, clear, discerning, good, piercing, receptive, sensible, hair-trigger, hyperacute, hypersensitive, oversensitive, supersensitive, facile, smooth, artistic, creative, fancy, ingenious, neat

Near Antonyms of Delicate

crude, common, ordinary, average, fair, indifferent, mediocre, medium, middling, run-of-the-mill, second-rate, bad, deadened, dimmed, dull, dulled, fading, dead, imperceptive, insensible, insensitive, numb, awkward, clumsy, klutzy, ineffective, ineffectual, incompetent, inept, compact

Word Forms of Delicate

Derived words: delicately (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Delicate

Middle English delicat "delightful, luxurious, fond of luxury, fastidious, easily hurt," borrowed from Latin dēlicātus "addicted to pleasure, self-indulgent, sumptuous (of things), skittish, difficult to please, fastidious, elegant, having delicacy of form, dainty, not robust," perhaps the past participle of a 1st-conjugation verb formed from dēlicere "to lure, entice" delight:2

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Delicate

Frequently Asked Questions about Delicate

What does "Delicate" mean?

"Delicate" means pleasing to the senses:. As an an adjective and a noun, it is defined as: pleasing to the senses:. It has 12 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Delicate"?

Other words for "Delicate" include airy, dainty, exquisite, nuanced, refined, subtle, acute and fine. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Delicate" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Delicate"?

There are 318 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Delicate". Common alternatives include airy, dainty, exquisite, nuanced, refined, subtle, acute, fine, keen and perceptive.

What is the opposite of "Delicate"?

Antonyms of "Delicate" include robust, strong, sturdy, amateur, amateurish, artless, rude and unprofessional. Near antonyms include crude, common, ordinary and average.

How do you use "Delicate" in a sentence?

Examples of "Delicate" in a sentence: "a heavy sauce would spoil the delicate flavor of this fish"; "only a person with delicate taste buds could tell the difference between these two wines"; "the delicate handling of a difficult diplomatic situation".

Is "Delicate" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Delicate" can be used as an adjective and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Delicate" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C1-level word, "Delicate" is typical of Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS band 7.0–8.0, TOEFL iBT 95–113, PTE Academic 76–84, TOEIC Listening & Reading 945+. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Delicate"?

"Delicate" is pronounced /ˈde-li-kət/ and divided into syllables as del·i·cate.