delicate

delicate

adjective

Definition of DELICATE

1

satisfying or pleasing because of fineness or mildness <a heavy sauce would spoil the delicate flavor of this fish>

Synonyms airy, dainty, exquisite, nuanced, refined, subtle

Related Words choice, elegant, extraordinary, incomparable, peerless, preeminent, prime, rare, select, superior, superlative, supreme, transcendent, unsurpassed; picked, selected; fine, fragile, frail

Near Antonyms coarse, crude, rough; common, ordinary; average, fair, indifferent, mediocre, medium, middling, run-of-the-mill, second-rate

Antonyms robust, strong, sturdy

2

able to sense slight impressions or differences <only a person with delicate taste buds could tell the difference between these two wines>

Synonyms delicate, fine, keen, perceptive, quick, sensitive, sharp

Related Words accurate, clear, discerning, good, piercing, precise, receptive, sensible, subtle; hair-trigger, hyperacute, hypersensitive, oversensitive, supersensitive

Near Antonyms 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>

Synonyms adroit, artful, bravura, deft, delicate, dexterous (also dextrous), expert, masterful, masterly, practiced (also practised), virtuoso, workmanlike

Related Words facile, smooth; artistic, creative, fancy, ingenious, neat; adept, clever, cunning; able, adequate, capable, competent

Near Antonyms awkward, clumsy, crude, klutzy; ineffective, ineffectual; incompetent, inept

Antonyms amateur, amateurish, artless, rude, unprofessional, unskillful

4

easily broken <delicate glassware that must be carefully wrapped for shipping>

Synonyms breakable, delicate, frail, frangible

Related Words dainty, fine, gossamer; eggshell, flimsy, slight, tenuous; brittle, crisp, crispy, crumbly, crushable, embrittled, flaky (also flakey), friable, shaky, shivery, short; feeble, infirm, soft, spindly, tender, weak; inelastic, inflexible, stiff

Near Antonyms compact, firm, hard, rigid, solid, substantial, unyielding; elastic, flexible, resilient, rubberlike, rubbery, springy, stretch, stretchable, supple

Antonyms infrangible, nonbreakable, strong, sturdy, tough, unbreakable

5

easily injured without careful handling <the delicate ecosystem of the wetlands>

Synonyms delicate, fragile, frail, sensitive

Related Words breakable, brittle, crushable, eggshell, frangible, friable; feeble, flimsy, puny, slight, soft, tenuous, weak; nonhardy, perishable, resistless, susceptible, unresistant, vulnerable, yielding

Near Antonyms durable, firm, flinty, hard, hardy, resistant, robust, rugged, solid, sound, stiff, stout, strong, sturdy, substantial; infrangible, nonbreakable, unbreakable; hardened, inured, strengthened, tempered, toughened

Antonyms tough

6

hard to please <a person of delicate tastes>

Synonyms choosy (or choosey), dainty, delicate, demanding, exacting, fastidious, finical, finicking, fussbudgety, fussy, nice, old-maidish, particular, pernickety [chiefly British], persnickety, picky

Related 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, prissy

Near Antonyms affable, breezy, carefree, devil-may-care, happy-go-lucky, lackadaisical, laid-back, low-pressure, relaxed; flexible, lax, loose; lenient, permissive; uncritical; indiscriminating, undiscriminating

Antonyms undemanding, unfastidious, unfussy

7

having qualities that appeal to a refined taste <delicate perfumes that only a connoisseur of scents would appreciate>

Synonyms dainty, delicate, elegant, exquisite, fine, rare, recherché, select

Related 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; ultrarare

Near 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

8

lacking bodily strength <a delicate child who was never allowed to play sports>

Synonyms asthenic, debilitated, delicate, down-and-out, effete, enervated, enfeebled, faint, feeble, frail, infirm, languid, low, prostrate, prostrated, sapped, slight, soft, softened, tender, unsubstantial, wasted, weakened, wimpish, wimpy

Related Words challenged, 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, lame, unsound; resistless, susceptible, unresistant, vulnerable, yielding

Near Antonyms 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

Antonyms mighty, powerful, rugged, stalwart, stout, strong

9

made or done with extreme care and accuracy <delicate measurements of brain tumors that are only possible using the latest medical technology>

Synonyms delicate, exact, finespun, hairline, hairsplitting, minute, nice, nuanced, refined, subtle

Related Words nitpicking, quibbling; frivolous, inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, negligible, petty, piddling, trifling, trivial; demanding, exacting, fastidious, finical, finicking, finicky, fussy, meticulous, particular, picky

Near Antonyms 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

Antonyms coarse, inexact, rough

10

meeting the highest standard of accuracy <extremely delicate instruments such as an atomic clock>

Synonyms accurate, close, delicate, exact, fine, hairline, mathematical, pinpoint, refined, rigorous, spot-on

Related Words correct, right, strict, true; definite, definitive; nice, subtle; careful, fastidious, finical, finicky, meticulous

Near Antonyms approximate, round; false, incorrect, untrue, wrong; careless, loose; indefinite, unclear, vague; doubtful, dubious, questionable, unreliable, untrustworthy

Antonyms coarse, imprecise, inaccurate, inexact, rough

11

not harsh or stern especially in nature or effect <a delicate breeze was floating in from the open window>

Synonyms balmy, benign, bland, delicate, light, mellow, mild, nonabrasive, soft, soothing, tender

Related Words calm, pacific, peaceful, placid, quiet, serene, tranquil; clement, compassionate, easy, lenient, merciful; buffering, cushioning, emollient, softening; sleek, slick, smooth

Near Antonyms exquisite, fierce, intense, powerful, severe; forceful, forcible, savage, violent; roughened, rugged, strong; abrading, irritating, roughening; grim, gruff, rude, stiff; heavy-handed, oppressive, pitiless, tyrannical (also tyrannic)

Antonyms abrasive, caustic, coarse, hard, harsh, rough, scathing, stern, ungentle

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>

Synonyms catchy, delicate, difficult, dodgy [chiefly British], hairy, knotty, nasty, prickly, problematic (also problematical), sensitive, spiny, sticky, thorny, ticklish, touchy, tough, tricksy

Related Words 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 Antonyms easy, effortless, manageable, painless, simple, straightforward, uncomplicated, undemanding, unproblematic