Synonyms of delicate

delicate

adjective

ˈde-li-kət 

1

as in subtle

satisfying or pleasing because of fineness or mildness

a heavy sauce would spoil the delicate flavor of this fish

Synonyms & Similar Words

• subtle
• exquisite
• elegant
• dainty
• rare
• refined
• nuanced
• extraordinary
• airy
• supreme
• fine
• superior
• prime
• fragile
• transcendent
• incomparable
• select
• choice
• selected
• superlative
• peerless
• unsurpassed
• frail
• preeminent
• picked

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• strong
• robust
• sturdy
• coarse
• crude
• rough
• common
• ordinary
• average
• medium
• fair
• indifferent
• mediocre
• middling
• run-of-the-mill
• second-rate

2

as in sensitive

able to sense slight impressions or differences

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sensitive
• quick
• keen
• acute
• sharp
• fine
• perceptive
• subtle
• accurate
• precise
• good
• piercing
• sensible
• clear
• discerning
• receptive
• hypersensitive
• supersensitive
• oversensitive
• hair-trigger
• hyperacute

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dull
• bad
• fading
• dulled
• insensitive
• dead
• deadened
• numb
• insensible
• dimmed
• imprecise
• inaccurate
• imperceptive

3

as in virtuoso

accomplished with trained ability

the delicate handling of a difficult diplomatic situation

Synonyms & Similar Words

• virtuoso
• artistic
• skillful
• smooth
• expert
• artful
• masterful
• adroit
• deft
• dexterous
• masterly
• workmanlike
• bravura
• practiced
• creative
• adept
• adequate
• fancy
• capable
• facile
• ingenious
• neat
• cunning
• clever
• competent
• able

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• crude
• amateur
• rude
• artless
• awkward
• unprofessional
• amateurish
• clumsy
• ineffective
• ineffectual
• unskillful
• incompetent
• klutzy
• inept

4

as in fragile

easily broken

delicate glassware that must be carefully wrapped for shipping

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fragile
• brittle
• frail
• breakable
• fine
• weak
• frangible
• soft
• dainty
• short
• tenuous
• feeble
• gossamer
• slight
• flimsy
• friable
• crisp
• flaky
• shaky
• crispy
• crumbly
• spindly
• tender
• infirm
• inelastic
• eggshell
• inflexible
• stiff
• crushable
• shivery
• embrittled

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• strong
• sturdy
• tough
• substantial
• solid
• unbreakable
• rigid
• compact
• hard
• firm
• unyielding
• nonbreakable
• flexible
• elastic
• infrangible
• resilient
• supple
• rubbery
• springy
• stretch
• rubberlike
• stretchable

5

as in frail

easily injured without careful handling

the delicate ecosystem of the wetlands

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fragile
• sensitive
• frail
• weak
• tender
• vulnerable
• soft
• brittle
• friable
• feeble
• breakable
• tenuous
• slight
• flimsy
• susceptible
• puny
• perishable
• crushable
• eggshell
• frangible
• yielding
• resistless
• unresistant
• nonhardy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• tough
• substantial
• strong
• solid
• robust
• hard
• sound
• sturdy
• durable
• resistant
• rugged
• stiff
• firm
• hardy
• stout
• flinty
• unbreakable
• hardened
• tempered
• strengthened
• nonbreakable
• infrangible
• toughened
• inured

6

as in careful

hard to please

a person of delicate tastes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• careful
• dainty
• finicky
• nice
• particular
• fastidious
• demanding
• exacting
• meticulous
• finical
• picky
• fussy
• selective
• pernickety
• choosy
• finicking
• persnickety
• old-maidish
• fussbudgety
• critical
• discerning
• insightful
• discriminating
• painstaking
• knowledgeable
• punctilious
• scrupulous
• captious
• hypercritical
• touchy
• overcritical
• squeamish
• petulant
• ultrafastidious
• peevish
• hyperfastidious
• faultfinding
• prissy
• overdemanding
• queasy
• prim
• prickly
• caviling
• carping
• niminy-piminy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• undemanding
• flexible
• loose
• carefree
• breezy
• low-pressure
• relaxed
• affable
• lax
• lackadaisical
• unfussy
• lenient
• unfastidious
• permissive
• laid-back
• uncritical
• happy-go-lucky
• devil-may-care
• undiscriminating
• indiscriminating

7

as in elegant

having qualities that appeal to a refined taste

delicate perfumes that only a connoisseur of scents would appreciate

Synonyms & Similar Words

• elegant
• exquisite
• rare
• fine
• select
• special
• dainty
• exceptional
• excellent
• exclusive
• choice
• wonderful
• outstanding
• recherché
• premium
• classic
• fancy
• great
• superb
• better
• fabulous
• high-grade
• marvelous
• sterling
• terrific
• splendid
• jewellike
• sensational
• elite
• noble
• superior
• stellar
• prime
• transcendent
• bijou
• first-rate
• first-class
• superlative
• top
• unsurpassed
• par excellence
• grand
• top-notch
• supernal
• tip-top
• ultrarare

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• coarse
• rough
• gross
• commercial
• vulgar
• tasteless
• unrefined
• unpolished
• kitschy
• uncultivated
• popular
• raffish
• common
• ordinary
• uncultured
• rough-hewn
• lowbrow
• kitsch
• lesser
• average
• mediocre
• unsatisfactory
• inferior
• deficient
• second-class
• unacceptable
• mass-produced
• substandard
• low-grade
• wanting
• second-rate
• run-of-the-mill
• run-of-the-mine

8

as in weak

lacking bodily strength

a delicate child who was never allowed to play sports

Synonyms & Similar Words

• weak
• weakened
• frail
• feeble
• soft
• faint
• disabled
• slight
• softened
• fragile
• languid
• tender
• vulnerable
• infirm
• enfeebled
• debilitated
• unsubstantial
• wimpy
• asthenic
• wasted
• paralyzed
• low
• prostrate
• tired
• effete
• injured
• exhausted
• down-and-out
• incapacitated
• wimpish
• weary
• enervated
• prostrated
• sapped
• damaged
• invalid
• drained
• unsteady
• rocky
• breakable
• decrepit
• flimsy
• susceptible
• powerless
• hurt
• dizzy
• impaired
• impotent
• woozy
• groggy
• broken-down
• flagging
• yielding
• resistless
• unsound
• harmed
• worn-out
• unresistant

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• powerful
• strong
• mighty
• rugged
• muscular
• stout
• robust
• athletic
• sturdy
• sinewy
• tough
• hard
• beefy
• virile
• stalwart
• fit
• brawny
• hardy
• husky
• vigorous
• lusty
• hardened
• energetic
• able-bodied
• healthy
• sound
• fortified
• strengthened
• capable
• competent
• strapping
• energized
• toughened
• red-blooded
• hale
• recovering
• vitalized
• inured
• invigorated
• recuperating
• convalescing

9

as in nice

made or done with extreme care and accuracy

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• subtle
• nice
• fine
• exact
• nuanced
• minute
• refined
• meticulous
• finespun
• trivial
• exacting
• hairsplitting
• petty
• particular
• hairline
• demanding
• insignificant
• frivolous
• trifling
• negligible
• finicky
• inconsiderable
• inconsequential
• fastidious
• fussy
• quibbling
• nitpicking
• picky
• piddling
• finicking
• finical

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• coarse
• rough
• clear
• obvious
• plain
• evident
• apparent
• transparent
• inexact
• broad
• unmistakable
• manifest
• unambiguous
• palpable
• unequivocal
• indefinite
• clear-cut
• careless
• perspicuous
• open-and-shut
• sloppy
• patent
• heedless
• slipshod
• incautious
• slapdash

10

as in accurate

meeting the highest standard of accuracy

extremely delicate instruments such as an atomic clock

Synonyms & Similar Words

• accurate
• precise
• mathematical
• fine
• rigorous
• careful
• close
• exact
• refined
• correct
• pinpoint
• strict
• spot-on
• definite
• subtle
• hairline
• definitive
• meticulous
• true
• right
• nice
• fastidious
• finicky
• finical

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• coarse
• rough
• round
• inaccurate
• wrong
• approximate
• false
• loose
• incorrect
• imprecise
• careless
• inexact
• vague
• unclear
• questionable
• indefinite
• doubtful
• untrue
• dubious
• unreliable
• untrustworthy

11

as in gentle

not harsh or stern especially in nature or effect

a delicate breeze was floating in from the open window

Synonyms & Similar Words

• gentle
• soothing
• soft
• mellow
• mild
• light
• benign
• bland
• tender
• smooth
• quiet
• serene
• balmy
• calm
• peaceful
• tranquil
• nonabrasive
• compassionate
• easy
• placid
• softening
• pacific
• sleek
• merciful
• lenient
• slick
• emollient
• clement
• cushioning
• buffering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• powerful
• hard
• coarse
• caustic
• exquisite
• harsh
• intense
• severe
• rough
• abrasive
• stern
• fierce
• scathing
• strong
• violent
• forceful
• savage
• forcible
• ungentle
• rugged
• irritating
• stiff
• grim
• roughened
• gruff
• rude
• oppressive
• pitiless
• tyrannical
• roughening
• abrading
• heavy-handed

12

as in difficult

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 & Similar Words

• difficult
• sensitive
• tough
• complicated
• problematic
• sticky
• thorny
• tricky
• complex
• touchy
• hairy
• knotty
• spiny
• ticklish
• serious
• hard
• intricate
• nasty
• tricksy
• problem
• prickly
• painful
• catchy
• dodgy
• abstract
• troublesome
• recondite
• abstruse
• involved
• vexing
• stubborn
• worrisome
• vexatious
• scabrous
• troublous
• demanding
• stressful
• exacting
• oppressive
• burdensome
• onerous
• inconvenient
• exhausting
• importunate
• discommoding

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• simple
• easy
• uncomplicated
• straightforward
• manageable
• effortless
• painless
• undemanding
• unproblematic

Synonym Chooser

How is the word delicate different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of delicate are choice, dainty, elegant, exquisite, and rare. While all these words mean "having qualities that appeal to a cultivated taste," delicate implies exquisiteness, subtlety, and fragility.

delicate craftsmanship

Where would choice be a reasonable alternative to delicate?

The words choice and delicate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, choice stresses preeminence in quality or kind.

choice fabric

In what contexts can dainty take the place of delicate?

While the synonyms dainty and delicate are close in meaning, dainty sometimes carries an additional suggestion of smallness and of appeal to the eye or palate.

dainty sandwiches

When can elegant be used instead of delicate?

Although the words elegant and delicate have much in common, elegant applies to what is rich and luxurious but restrained by good taste.

a sumptuous but elegant dining room

When is it sensible to use exquisite instead of delicate?

The synonyms exquisite and delicate are sometimes interchangeable, but exquisite implies a perfection in workmanship or design that appeals only to very sensitive taste.

an exquisite gold bracelet

When could rare be used to replace delicate?

The meanings of rare and delicate largely overlap; however, rare suggests an uncommon excellence.

rare beauty

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of delicate

Because of its delicate nature, a special crate has to be built for its transport. —ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026

Some may prioritize speed, while others want reassurance that valuable heirlooms or delicate items will be handled carefully. —Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 12 Mar. 2026

Montgomery says that for the White House, the situation in the Gulf presents a delicate trade-off between political and military risk. —Scott Neuman, NPR, 12 Mar. 2026

While the bulk of French girl bangs are defined by delicate wisps, Lou Doillon’s interpretation relies on thickness and texture. —Calin Van Paris, InStyle, 11 Mar. 2026