delicate
- 01 B1 Intermediate
adj.easily damaged or broken; needing very careful handling.
adj.physically fragile or easily damaged; requiring cautious manipulation to avoid breakage.
Simple“Be careful with those delicate wine glasses when you wash them.”
In context“The restoration of the delicate silk tapestry required months of painstaking work by a team of textile specialists.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.having a very thin, light, or detailed structure.
adj.characterized by a fine, intricate, or subtle structure; often used of patterns, features, or craftsmanship.
Simple“The spider web was covered in delicate drops of morning dew.”
In context“The watchmaker used specialized tools to adjust the delicate internal gears of the antique chronometer.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.needing careful treatment because it could easily cause trouble or offense.
adj.requiring great tact, diplomacy, or sensitivity to manage successfully without causing conflict.
Simple“The manager had to handle a delicate situation between two angry employees.”
In context“The diplomat navigated the delicate negotiations with skill, ensuring that neither party felt their sovereignty was being challenged.”
Antonyms - 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.pleasant and not strong, such as a light smell, taste, or color.
adj.subtle or understated in sensory quality; not intense or overpowering.
Simple“The soup had a delicate flavor of fresh herbs and lemon.”
In context“The artist chose a delicate shade of pink for the sky to suggest the very first moments of dawn.”
- 05 C1 Advanced
adj.having a body that is not strong and gets sick easily.
adj.possessing a fragile constitution; prone to illness or physical exhaustion.
Simple“The child had always been in delicate health since he was born.”
In context“Despite her delicate constitution, she insisted on traveling across the continent to attend the scientific symposium.”
- 06 C2 Proficiency
adj.feeling slightly sick or sensitive, especially after drinking too much alcohol.
adj.feeling physically sensitive or unwell, typically as a result of a hangover.
Simple“I'm feeling a bit delicate this morning after the office party.”
In context“He was feeling rather delicate after the wedding celebrations and spent the entire Sunday morning in a darkened room.”
Teacher's tipThis is a common British euphemism for a hangover; it implies the person needs quiet and gentle treatment.
- 07 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.clothes that are made of thin or expensive material and need a gentle wash.
n.items of clothing, such as lingerie or silk garments, that require a gentle laundry cycle.
Simple“You should wash your delicates in a separate mesh bag.”
In context“The modern washing machine features a specific cycle designed to protect delicates from being stretched or torn during the spin.”
UsageUsually used in the plural form.
Synonymsfragiles
“Finding fossils from much earlier periods requires searching in places where delicate biological material had an unusual chance of surviving.”
“Spider webs are often made with multiple types of silk: a stronger form that creates a structure, and a more delicate, sticky form that traps prey.”
From Middle English delicat, from Latin dēlicātus (“giving pleasure, delightful, soft, luxurious, delicate, (in Medieval Latin also) fine, slender”), from dēlicia + -ātus (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), usually in plural dēliciae (“pleasure, delight, luxury”), from dēliciō (“to allure, entice”), from dē- (“away”) + laciō (“to lure, to deceive”), from Proto-Italic *lakjō (“to draw, pull”), of unknown ultimate origin. Compare delight, delicious and Spanish delgado (“thin, skinny”). The noun is from a substantivization of the adjective (see -ate).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.