dainty

1 hard to please <you can't afford to be dainty about food when you're starving> Synonyms choosy (or choosey), finicky, delicate, demanding, exacting, fastidious, finical, finicking, fussbudgety, fussy, nice, old-maidish, particular, pernickety [chiefly British], persnickety, pickyRelated Words hyperfastidious, overdemanding, ultrafastidious; discerning, discriminating, selective; insightful, knowledgeable; captious, carping, caviling (or cavilling), critical, faultfinding, hypercritical, overcritical; careful, meticulous, painstaking, punctilious, scrupulous; queasy (also queazy), squeamish; peevish, petulant, prickly, touchy; niminy-piminy, prim, prissyNear Antonyms affable, breezy, carefree, devil-may-care, happy-go-lucky, lackadaisical, laid-back, low-pressure, relaxed; flexible, lax, loose; lenient, permissive; uncritical; indiscriminating, undiscriminatingAntonyms undemanding, unfastidious, unfussy

2 having qualities that appeal to a refined taste <the dainty hors d'oeuvres were delicious, but not terribly filling> Synonyms choice, delicate, elegant, exquisite, fine, rare, recherché, selectRelated Words bijou, jewellike; better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, special; elite, exclusive; classic, excellent, fabulous, first-class, first-rate, grand, great, marvelous (or marvellous), noble, outstanding, par excellence, premium, prime, sensational, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, transcendant, unsurpassed, wonderful; ultrarareNear Antonyms 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 (or run-of-mine), second-class, second-rate; deficient, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, wanting

3 satisfying or pleasing because of fineness or mildness <a set of dainty teacups that would be perfect for an elderly lady> Synonyms airy, delicate, exquisite, nuanced, refined, subtleRelated Words choice, elegant, extraordinary, incomparable, peerless, preeminent, prime, rare, select, superior, superlative, supreme, transcendent, unsurpassed; picked, selected; fine, fragile, frailNear Antonyms coarse, crude, rough; common, ordinary; average, fair, indifferent, mediocre, medium, middling, run-of-the-mill, second-rateAntonyms robust, strong, sturdy

4 very pleasing to the sense of taste <the sort of dainty finger foods that might be served at afternoon tea> Synonyms ambrosial, appetizing, delicious, delectable, delish, flavorful, flavorsome, luscious, lush, mouthwatering, palatable, savory (also savoury), scrumptious, succulent, tasteful, tasty, toothsome, toothy, yummyRelated Words digestible, eatable, edible; delightful, heavenly, pleasing; agreeable, gratifying, pleasant; satisfying; choice, delicate, exquisite, rareNear Antonyms banal, boring, commonplace, tedious; noisome, smelly, stinky; noxious, unwholesome; miserable, wretched; abhorrent, abominable, awful, detestable, disagreeable, disgusting, foul, horrid, nauseating, offensive, repellent (also repellant), repugnant, repulsive, sickening, unpleasantAntonyms distasteful, flat, flavorless, insipid, stale, tasteless, unappetizing, unpalatable, unsavory, yucky (also yukky)