Delicate

Definition: Delicate

Delicate

Adjective

1. Exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury; "a delicate violin passage"; "delicate china"; "a delicate flavor"; "the delicate wing of a butterfly".

2. Marked by great skill especially in meticulous technique; "a surgeon's delicate touch".

3. Easily broken or damaged or destroyed; "a kite too delicate to fly safely"; "fragile porcelain plates"; "fragile old bones"; "a frail craft".

4. Easily hurt; "soft hands"; "a baby's delicate skin".

5. Developed with extreme delicacy and subtlety; "the satire touches with finespun ridicule every kind of human pretense".

6. Difficult to handle; requiring great tact; "delicate negotiations with the big powers"; "hesitates to be explicit on so ticklish a matter".

7. Of an instrument or device; capable of registering minute differences or changes precisely; "almost undetectable with even the most delicate instruments".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "delicate" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1050. (references)

Food & Agriculture

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Synonyms: Delicate

Beauty

Adjective: beautiful, beauteous; handsome; gorgeous; pretty; lovely, graceful, elegant, prepossessing; attractive; (inviting); delicate, dainty, refined; fair, personable, comely, seemly; bonny; good-looking; well-favored, well-made, well-formed, well-proportioned; proper, shapely; symmetrical; (regular); harmonious; (color); sightly.

Difference

Nice distinction, fine distinction, delicate distinction, subtle distinction; shade of difference, nuance; discrimination; differentia.

Difficulty

Nice point, delicate point, subtle point, knotty point; vexed question, vexata quaestio, poser; puzzle; (riddle); paradox; hard nut to crack, nut to crack; bone to pick,

Embarrassing, perplexing; (uncertain); delicate, ticklish, critical; beset with difficulties, full of difficulties, surrounded by difficulties, entangled by difficulties, encompassed with difficulties.

Fastidiousness

Adjective: fastidious, nice, delicate, delicat, finical, finicky, demanding, meticulous, exacting, strict, anal, difficult, dainty, lickerish, squeamish, thin-skinned; squeasy, queasy; hard to please, difficult to please; querulous, particular, straitlaced, scrupulous; censorious; hypercritical; overcritical.

Narrowness Thinness

Adjective: narrow, close; slender, thin, fine; thread-like; (filament); finespun, gossamer; paper-thin; taper, slim, slight-made; scant, scanty; spare, delicate, incapacious; contracted; unexpanded; (expand; ); slender as a thread.

Pain

Refreshing; comfortable; cordial; genial; glad, gladsome; sweet, delectable, nice, dainty; delicate, delicious; dulcet; luscious; palatable; luxurious, voluptuous; sensual.

Purity

Adjective: pure, undefiled, modest, delicate, decent, decorous; virginibus puerisque; simon-pure; chaste, continent, virtuous, honest, Platonic.

Savoriness

Adjective: savory, delicious, tasty, well-tasted, to one's taste, good, palatable, nice, dainty, delectable; toothful, toothsome; gustful, appetizing, lickerish, delicate, exquisite, rich, luscious, ambrosial, scrumptious, delightful.

Texture

Textural, textile; fine grained, coarse grained; fine, delicate, subtile, gossamery, filmy, silky, satiny; coarse; homespun.

Truth

Exact, accurate, definite, precise, well-defined, just, just so, so; strict, severe; close; (similar); literal; rigid, rigorous; scrupulous; (conscientious); religiously exact, punctual, mathematical, scientific; faithful, constant, unerring; curious, particular, nice, delicate, fine; clean-cut, clear-cut.

Crosswords: Delicate

Latin (charming, clarify, dainty, delicate, delicately, disclose, effeminate, elegant, explain, fastidious, favorite, fine, foppish, frisky, frivolous, luxuriously, make clear, one addicted to pleasure, paramour, polite, pretty, reveal, skittish, slowly, squeamish, tender, voluptuous, voluptury, wanton).

Everything you see exists in a delicate balance (The Lion King; writing credit: Irene Mecchi; Jonathan Roberts)

Well, there's a delicate corneal inversion procedure a multi-opti-pupil-optomy (Hot Shots!; writing credit: Jim Abrahams; Pat Proft)

Delicate. Extremely delicate (Biloxi Blues; writing credit: Neil Simon)

The other girls were blonde and delicate, and I was a swarthy six-year-old with sideburns (My Big Fat Greek Wedding; writing credit: Nia Vardalos)

If any of you so much as pass gas in my direction and upset my delicate nasal passages, your testicles will become my private property (Con Air; writing credit: Scott Rosenberg)

I've been careless with a delicate man. (Criminal; performing artist: Fiona Apple)

A Delicate Balance (1973)

Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)

The Delicate Delinquent (1957)

Delicate Matters (1989)

Vasectomy: A Delicate Matter (1986)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• A Delicate Balance (Touched by an Angel Series) (reference)

• A Delicate Balance: Living Successfully with Chronic Illness (reference)

• Florence: A Delicate Case (Writer and the City, 3,) (reference)

• Life's Delicate Balance: Guide to Causes and Prevention of Breast Cancer (reference)

• Money Advice for Your Successful Remarriage: Handling Delicate Financial Issue Intelligently and Lovingly (reference)

  (more book examples)

Periodicals

• Delicate Balance (reference)

  (more periodical examples)

Theater & Movies

• Pink Floyd - Delicate Sound of Thunder (reference)

• Papa's Delicate Condition (reference)

• The Delicate Delinquent (reference)

  (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music

• Delicate Hour (reference)

• Delicate Sound of Thunder [LIVE] (reference)

• The Lass with the Delicate Air (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

Consumer Goods

• Amerock BP1471-O74 3" Sterling Brass Delicate Pull (reference)

  (more baby examples; more wireless phone examples; more garden examples; more kitchen examples; more tool examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

The delicate, hazy, tan macular rim of this lesion, although not clinically dramatic, represents persistent melanocytic proliferation beyond the lateral limits of the common mole at its center. Credit: Unknown photographer/artist.

Estivo-autumnal malaria, caused by P. falciparum, is responsible for most of the deaths from malaria. The organisms block the blood vessels of the brain. P. falciparum rings have delicate cytoplasm and 1 or 2 small chromatin dots. Credit: CDC.

Plasmodium falciparum rings have delicate cytoplasm and 1 or 2 small chromatin dots. Infected RBCs are not enlarged, and RBCs with multiple rings are often found in P. falciparum. Credit: CDC.

Delicate flowers are common within Louisiana coastal marshes. Credit: America's Coastlines.

Some manipulator arms have tactile feedback and can handle delicate items. Credit: National Undersea Research Program (NURP).

Delicate crinoid can orient towards the current to increase food capture. Credit: National Undersea Research Program (NURP).

Figure 70. Thoulet device for measuring the density of minerals by means of an iodine solution. The method used in image ship4445 was very crude but this device gave a real measurement, which although a long and delicate process, could be very precise. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now.

... a delicate operation in progress, ... / [WHO photo]. Credit: National Library of Medicine.

Great skill is needed to look after this delicate little human being ... / WHO photo. Credit: National Library of Medicine.

Delicate budget balance. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Certainly, delicate ladies have very extraordinary constitutions, Mrs. Elton

His wife caught the idea, and at once began giving hints of the most subtle and delicate kind

Women derive a pleasure, incomprehensible to the other sex, from the delicate toil of the needle

She touched the unfortunate with charming fingers, delicate and pure

Dark stream of swirling bogwater on which appletrees have cast down their delicate flowers

It was an abnormally high forehead, lined with delicate blue veins at the temples

The finest qualities of our nature, like the bloom on fruits, can be preserved only by the most delicate handling

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Health

The skin around the anus is delicate and sensitive. (references)

If you have children, explain to them that hearing is delicate and important. (references)

This, in turn, makes them more delicate and susceptible to tearing and infection. (references)

Business

Distribution practices and industrial competence play a fundamental and very delicate role in the safety and security sector. (references)

Imported children's wear from the U.S. and Europe are usually recognized for its unique designs, vivid colors, delicate details. (references)

Civil Liberties

South Africa

The SABC maintains editorial independence from the Government, although the balance between editorial independence and national interest remains a delicate topic with governmental officials. (references)

Economic History

Djibouti

Djibouti is greatly affected by events in Somalia and Ethiopia, and therefore relations are important and, at times, very delicate. (references)

Lebanon

Yet the sector remains in a delicate situation due to high operating costs, low productivity, obsolete equipment and limited access to financing. (references)

Political Economy

Ecuador

This year, the U.S. Coast Guard cleaned up an extensive oil spill that damaged and threatened the delicate and unique ecosystem of the Galapagos Islands. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

To be delicate

Delicate

Delicate

To be delicate

Expressions using "delicate": a delicate balance ♦ become delicate ♦ delicate child ♦ delicate color ♦ delicate ear ♦ delicate fabric ♦ delicate matter ♦ delicate point ♦ delicate question ♦ delicate stomach ♦ delicate subject ♦ delicate work ♦ give a delicate hint ♦ make delicate ♦ school for delicate children ♦ tread on a delicate ground. Additional references.

Beginning with "delicate": delicate-filmed, delicate-fingered, delicate-hued, delicate-leaved, delicate-looking.

Ending with "delicate": over-delicate.

Afrikaans

teer (dainty, fine, refined), delikaat (dainty, fine, refined). (various references)

Albanian

delikat (fine, fragile, frail, hothouse, kid glove, subtile, subtle), që guduliset shpejt (considerate, tactful, ticklish), i zoti (able, accomplished, adroit, capable, dexterous, dextrous, efficient, expert, fool, natty, neat, neat-handed, proficient, skilful, skillful), i sjellshëm (amiable, bland, complaisant, courteous, courtly, discreet, fair-spoken, gallant, genteel, good, kind, kindly, mannerly, nice, polite, suave, well bred, well mannered, well-behaved), i shijshëm (appetizing, delicious, enjoyable, goluptious, luscious, nutty, palatable, sapid, Savory, savoury, scrumptious, succulent, tasteful, tasty, toothsome, yummy), i njomë (dabby, damp, dampish, dampy, dank, dewy, fresh, humid, milch, moist, muggy, new, poachy, sappy, saturated, wet, young), i ndjeshëm (appreciable, fast, perceptible, sensible, sensitive, sensuous, sentient, sentimental, susceptive, tender, thin-skinned, touchy), i hollë (dainty, dinky, discerning, egg shell, exquisite, flimsy, gauzy, gossamer, gossamery, ingenious, keen, liny, meager, meagre, nice, paper, papery, perceptive, percipient, perspicacious, politic, sleazy, slender, slim, small, spidery, spindling, spindly, subtile, subtle, tenuous, thin, Twiggy, washy), i hijshëm (becoming, charming, comely, cool, dainty, decent, decorous, delicious, distinguished, elegant, graceful, jimp, nice, personable), i dobët (anaemic, anemic, bad, cachectic, characterless, cheesy, Dickey, dicky, dim, Dotty, enervate, faint, fainting, feeble, flabby, flaccid, gone, ill-conditioned, impaired, indolent, inferior, infirm, insubstantial, knock kneed, lame, lamentable, languid, languorous, lax, lean, low, meager, meagre, mean, measly, milk and water, nerveless, pale, pimping, pithless, poky, poor, puny, queasy, reckling, remiss, remote, rotten, rundown, scraggy, scrannel, scrawny, scrofulous, seared, shoddy, skinny, slack, sleazy, slender, slight, slim, soft, spare, squeamish, tender, thin, third rate, Twiggy, weak, weakly, woozy), i butë (balmy, bland, Clement, cottony, creamy, doughy, downy, ductile, easygoing, facile, feathery, flabby, genial, gentle, lenient, limp, meek, mellow, melting, merciful, mild, moderate, mushy, non-rigid, permissive, pillowy, placable, pulpy, quick, samel, silken, silky, soft, soft spoken, squashy, tame, temperate, tender, velvety, yielding), fin (nice, refined). (various references)

Arabic 

‏مرهف (fine, flimsy, sensitive, slender), ‏ناعم (cosiness, downy, fine, gentle, glace, mellow, neat, on velvet, powdery, silken, silky, smooth, soft, springy, squashy, tender, velvet, velvety), ‏لطيف (affable, agreeable, amiable, benign, bland, charming, civil, civilized, complaisance, complaisant, courteous, courtly, decent, fair, fair-spoken, fine, friendly, genial, gentle, good natured, gracious, handsome, kind, kindly, light, mild, nice, pet, pleasant, polite, poppet, pretty, refreshing, smooth, soft, suave, sweet, tender, tenuous, thin, urbane), ‏ضعيف (atonic, cold, crazy, deficient, dim, emaciated, enervate, faint, feckless, feeble, flabby, flagging, fragile, frail, haggard, helpless, impotent, inaudible, infirm, invertebrate, lame, languid, languorous, lank, lean, limp, little, low, lower, nerveless, pale, powered, powerless, puny, rickety, run down, scant, scrawny, slender, slight, slim, small, soft, softy, streaked, supine, tenuous, thin, thready, toothless, unsubstantial, wan, weak, weakened, weakling, weakly, wimp, wishy washy), ‏ذو كياسة (debonair), ‏رقيق (aerial, affectionate, airy, angelic, bland, bleeding heart, dainty, feminine, filmy, fine, flimsy, fluffy, fragile, frothy, gauzy, gentle, gingerly, gossamery, gracious, hearty, kind hearted, kindly, lovely, mellow, mincing, nice, orchidaceous, pastel, photogenic, piano, quiet, refined, romance, sharp, sloppy, smooth, soft-hearted, suave, subtle, sugary, superfine, tender, tenuous, thin, thinning, tilery, trick, warm, watery), ‏شهي (delicious, scrumptious, toothsome), ‏دقيق (accurate, careful, close, elaborate, exact, express, farina, fine, flour, inappreciable, infinitesimal, intangible, just, keen, mathematical, meal, nearness, nice, painstaking, particular, pernickety, precise, punctilious, punctual, rigorous, scrupulous, searching, sharp, sound, specific, straightforward, strict, ticklish, tiny, touchy, tricky, true, veracious), ‏بالغ الرقة (subtle). (various references)

Bulgarian 

фин (dainty, distinguished, exquisite, fine, nice, recherche, refined, sheer), крехък (brittle, egg shell, flimsy, fragile, frail, lean, slender, slight, tender), внимателен (affable, alert, attentive, careful, cautious, circumspect, considerate, guarded, heedful, intent, nice, precautious, scrupulous, thoughtful, ware, wary, watchful), нежен (affectionate, dainty, dovelike, downy, fatherly, fond, fragile, frail, loving, maidenly, melodious, melting, slender, soft, sweet, tender, womanly), болнав (ailing, cachectic, invalid, pimping, poorly, punk, sickly, unhealthy, unwell, valetudinarian, valetudinary, weakly), придирчив (captious, carping, choosey, dainty, exacting, exceptive, fastidious, finical, finicking, finicky, finikin, nice, particular, pernickety, queasy, squeamish), изящен (artistic, artistical, bijou, delicious, distinguished, minikin, neat, nice, peachy, svelte, sylph-like), изтънчен (cool, dainty, discriminating, fastidious, fine, polished, polite, refined, subtle, urbane), деликатен (considerate, fastidious, fine, fragile, nice, pernickety, prickly, slender, slippery, slippy, soft, tender, thoughtful, ticklish). (various references)

Chinese 

精美 (fine, refinement). (various references)

Czech

vybraný (choice, dainty, elegant, exquisite, grand, parliamentary, refined, select, selected, sophisticated), vetchý (decrepit, old), subtilní (fine-spun), slabý (bad, decrepit, faint, fainting, feeble, fragile, frail, light, low, slack, tenuous, wan, watery, weak, weakly, weak-minded, weary), prekérní (Dicey, dodgy), ožehavý (awkward, burning, knotty, thorny), ošemetný (awkward, dodgy), křehký (breakable, brittle, crisp, crunchy, flimsy, fragile, frail, frangible, inconstant, lissom, shattery, tender, weak), jemný (bland, dainty, fine, gentle, graceful, gracious, light, milky, nice, silken, silky, soft, suave, subtle, superfine, sweet, tender, tenuous, thin, wispy), citlivý (feeling, impressionable, open-hearted, responsive, sensitive, sore, susceptible, tender, thin-skinned, vexed), choulostivý (lackadaisical, squeamish, tender, ticklish, tricky, vexed), chatrný (broken, coarse, frail, jerry built, paltry, poorly, shoddy, unsound, weak). (various references)

Danish

delikat. (various references)

Dutch

delicaat (dainty, fine, refined), kies (dainty, fine, refined), iel (airy, dainty, fine, loose, refined, sandy), gevoelig (accessible, dainty, fine, impressible, refined, sensitive). (various references)

Esperanto

delikata (dainty, fine, refined). (various references)

Farsi 

نازک بین , لطیف (Benign, Fine, Gaseous, Gentle, Gossamer, Rare, Rosewater, Soft, Subtle, Tender, Tenuous, Volatile), حساس (Acute, Alive, Exquisite, Sensitive, Sensory, Stark, Susceptible, Techy, Tender, Ticklish, Touchy, Vigilant), خوشمزه (Luscious, Tasty, Toothsome, Yummy), ظریف (Capillary, Sheer, Slender). (various references)

Finnish

hieno (chic, choice, elegant, exquisite, fine, finely dressed, noble, refined, thin). (various references)

French

délicat, tendre. (various references)

German

zart (dainty, filmy, fine, fragile, frail, gentle, minion, refined, sensitive, soft, subtle, tender, tenderly, tenuous), fein (acute, choice, cunning, dainty, elegant, excellent, fancy, fashionable, fine, finely, great, keen, nice, nicely, polite, posh, pretty, refined, Savory, savoury, sensitive, smart, splendid, subtle, subtly, swell, tenuous, thin, wispy), delikat (dainty, delicious, exquisite, fine, gentle, nice, refined, risque, sensitive, subtly, tasty), zierlich (daintily, dainty, fine, graceful, minion, petite, slight, spindly), lecker (appetizing, daintily, dainty, delectable, delicately, delicious, leakier, lovely, luscious, mouth-watering, nice, palatable, Savory, savoury, scrumptious, toothsome, yummy), heikel (awkward, choosy, difficult, fussily, fussy, nice, particular, pernickety, queasily, queasy, scabrous, scabrously, thorny, tickling, ticklish, tricky), feinfühlig (sensitive, tactful). (various references)

Greek 

ντελικάτοσ (dainty), μαλθακός (effeminate, indolent), φίνοσ (nifty, swell), φίνος (fine, subtle), ευπαθήσ (frail, passible, ticklish), ευαίσθητοσ (emotional, impressionable, mushy, queasy, responsive, sensitive, sentient, susceptible, temperamental, thin-skinned, touchy), λεπτόσ (dainty, exquisite, fine, flimsy, gossamery, lank, nice, rangy, refined, sleazy, slender, slight, slim, slimsy, subtile, subtle, svelte, tactful, tenuous, thin, ticklish, waspish), λεπτός (flimsy, slender, subtle, tenuous, thin), λεπτεπίλεπτος (gracile), αβρόσ (courtly, gallant), απαλόσ (gentle, soft). (various references)

Hebrew 

מעודן (exquisite, graceful, refined, subtle), עדין (as yet, dainty, elegant, fine, gentle, gracious, mild, noble, not yet, slender, soft, still, subtle, tender, yet), ענוג (delight, effeminate, enjoyment, fine, joy, mild, pleasure, tender), איסטניסי (fastidious, sensitive, squeamish), אנין הדעת (eclectic, refined, sensitive), דק (fine, flimsy, lean, slender, slight, slim, spindly, thin), בעל נפש (gentle, refined). (various references)

Hungarian

válogatós (chary, choosey, choosy, finical, finicking, finicky, nice, pernickety, queasy, selective), tapintatos (considerate, diplomatic, discreet, discrete, light, tactful, tender), törékeny (as brittlle as glass, breakable, brittle, eager, flawed, fragile, frail, frangible, mingy, short), kellemes (affable, agreeable, benign, bland, comfortable, comfy, congenial, cushy, dainty, debonair, delectable, dulcet, engaging, enjoyable, fine, genial, glad, grateful, harmonious, likable, lovely, nice, palatable, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, refined, soft, suave, sweet, to elate, welcome), gyengéd (affectionate, dainty, endearing, languorous, motherly, silky, sisterly, tactful, tender, tender-hearted, womanly), finom (cheesy, choice, classy, crackerjack, dainty, delicious, discerning, elegant, filigree, fine, genteel, ladylike, light, mellow, nice, pure, refined, screening, sedate, silky, snappy, subtle, tasty, tenuous), elpuhult (effeminate, flabby, Pappy, self indulgent, sybaritic), elnőiesedett (womanish), ízletes (palatable, savory, savoury, tasteful, tasty, toothsome). (various references)

Indonesian

halus (airy). (various references)

Italian

delicato (dainty, fine, gentle, maidenly, refined, sensitive, slight, soft, sore, subtile, subtle, tender, thin, ticklish, touchy, tricky). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

際どい (close, dangerous, hazardous, risky, suggestive), 精巧 (elaborate, exquisite), 繊細 (fine, nice, subtle), 微細 (detailed, micro, minute, subtle), 微妙 (subtle), 弱い (frail, tender, unskilled, weak, weak wine). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

デリケート , なよなよ (supple, weak), きゃしゃ (gorgeous, luxury, pomp, slender), きわどい (close, dangerous, hazardous, risky, suggestive), びさい (detailed, micro, minute, subtle), びみょう (elegant, exquisite, subtle), ひよわ (sickly, weak), せいこう (affection, bull's eye, character and conduct, crude, elaborate, exquisite, hit, immature, mark, point, sexual intercourse, steel manufacture, success, unpolished, western suburb), せいち (birthplace, holy ground, minute, sacred place, soil preparation, subtle, the Holy Land), せんさい (cutting, fine, former wife, incompetence, lack of ability, late wife, nice, pruning, shearing, subtle, trimming, war damage), せんじゃく (frail), かしゃ (borrowing a kanji with the same pronunciation to convey a certain term, freight car, gorgeous, luxury, pomp, slender, van), よわい (age, frail, tender, unskilled, weak), ちみつ (accurate, elaborate, fine, minute). (various references)

Korean 

민감한. (various references)

Manx

mettey (boneless, faint-hearted, prim, shaky, soft, supine, tender, weak-minded, yellow), meeley (bland, fine, fine to touch, mangling, moisten, smooth, soft, soft-spoken, yielding), fiosagh (tender, underdeveloped, underdeveloped child, undersized, undersized of persons, undeveloped), dendeaysagh (dainty, effeminate, effeminate man, fastidious, prim, small eater), chionn (austere, busy, erect, erect as penis, fast, firm, firmly, hard-pressed, hardy, inflated, speedy, stiff, stuck fast, taut, tense, tight-fitting). (various references)

Norwegian

delikat (dainty), sart, fintfølende. (various references)

Papiamen

delikadu (dainty, fine, refined), delikado (dainty, fine, refined). (various references)

Pig Latin

elicateday.(various references)

Portuguese

delicado (airy, attentive, chivalrous, civil, complaisant, considerate, courteous, courtly, dainty, exquisite, fastidious, fine, flossy, fragile, frail, gaunt, gentle, gingerly, kid-glove, kittle, lean, mannerly, neighborly, neighbourly, nice, out-and-out, pernickety, polite, refined, scabrous, sensitive, sensory, sleazy, slender, slight, sophisticated, tactful, tender, thin, ticklish, urbane, well-made), fino (braw, choice, dainty, dressy, exquisite, gallant, gaunt, genteel, gentlemanly, gossamer, keen, knowing, lean, nice, nobby, out-and-out, posh, refined, select, sharp, sheer, sleazy, slender, slim, smart, stylish, subtil, subtile, subtle, tactful, tasteful, tenuous, thin, well-bred, well-made, wispy). (various references)

Romanian

discret (circumspect, discreet, hushed, maiden, mellow, reserved, secret, secretive, silent, subdued, unobtrusive), debil (feeble, frail, lymphatic, sickly, weakly), delicat (captious, dainty, delicately, fine, fine-spun, finicky, fragile, frail, fussy, gentle, gentlemanlike, gently, mellow, nice, queasy, refined, slender, slim, slippery, soft, subdued, tactful, tender, thin, ticklish, tricky, weak), delicios (charming, dainty, darling, delicious, luscious, palatable, Savory, savoury), dificil (abstract, awkward, captious, choosy, cross-grained, dainty, difficult, fastidious, finical, hard, ill, intractable, involved, nice, parlous, qualmish, scabrous, spiny, stiff, tender, thorny, ticklish, tough, troublesome, unyielding), ales (admirable, beau, choice, chosen, clear, dainty, distinct, distinguished, elect, elective, excellent, exquisite, first rate, grand, high, lofty, picked, rare, remarkable, select, splendid, supreme), atent (advertent, alert, amiable, attentive, attentively, careful, carefully, close, closely, complaisant, considerate, courteous, curious, deliberately, heedful, intent, jealous, listening, mindfully, nice, observant, observantly, painstaking, regardful, searching, tender, watchful), atenuat (attenuate, remissive), şubred (disorderly, feeble, flimsy, frail, insecure, ramshackle, rocky, shaky, unstable, weak), becisnic (frail, impotent, infirm, sickly, weakly), beteag (crippled, deformed, rickety, sick), bolnãvicios (cranky, dicky, diseased, frail, invalid, pasty, seedy, sickly, unhealthy, valetudinarian, weakly, weedy), critic (censorious, climacteric, critic, critical, critically, crucial, decisive, judge, supreme, ticklish), subţire (choice, cunning, filmy, fine, fine-drawn, flimsy, hour-glass, jejune, papery, reedy, refined, shrewd, shrill, skinny, slender, slight, slim, sly, small, spidery, squeamish, stalky, subtle, tall, tenuous, thin, thinly, weak, wiry), fin (beautiful, choice, delicately, discriminating, excellent, fine, fine-drawn, finely, fine-spun, godchild, godson, gossamer, graceful, keen, nice, penetrating, quick, refined, select, sharp, shrewd, slender, soft, spidery, subtile, subtly, tenuous), slãbuţ (feeblish, weak), rafinat (clever, courtly, dainty, exquisite, fine, parliamentary, refined, sophisticated, subtle, tenuous), sensibil (appreciably, considerable, considerably, feeling, impressible, impressionable, marked, noticeably, painful, palpable, passible, responsive, scrupulous, sensible, sensitive, sentient, susceptible, tangible, tender, thin-skinned, touchy), subtil (acute, fine, fine-spun, insidious, nice, refined, sagacious, shrewd, subtle, subtly, tenuous), firav (feeble, frail, infirm, puny, slender, weak), fraged (frail, green, soft, tender, unripe), frumos (artistic, artistical, beautiful, beautifully, bonny, brave, calm, canny, catchy, choice, clean, enjoyable, fair, fine, flowing, gay, generous, good, good looking, goodly, greatly, handsome, handsomely, lovely, merry, mild, neat, nice, nicely, personable, pretty, proper, settled, shapely, slowly, specious, well favored, well-favoured, well-featured), gingaş (dainty, delicately, fastidious, fine, fragile, frail, gentle, mellow, nice, pernickety, sightly, squeamish, sweet, tender), jenant (annoying, awkward, embarrassing, painful, tedious, troublesome, uncomfortable, uneasy, unpleasant), plãpând (dicky, dull, feeble, frail, infirm, puny, slight, tender, weak), spinos (briery, difficult, hard, horrid, spiky, spiny, thorny, ticklish, toilsome). (various references)

Russian 

утонченный (dainty), слабый (characterless, cold, cranky, dicky, dim, effeminate, enervate, faint, faint sound, faintish, feeble, fragile, frail, knock kneed, languishing, lax, limp, loosely-coupled, mild, nerveless, pale, pimping, reckling, remiss, slack, slight, soft, tender, unbacked, weak, weakly, wishy washy), щекотливый (ticklish), тонкий (fine, finespun, gauzy, keen, papery, sleazy, slender, slim, slimline, subtle, thin, twiggy, wispy), нежный (affectionate, affective, dove-like, fond, gentile, gentle, pappy, silken, soft, subtle, sweet, tender, womanly), легкий (airy, cheap, cushy, easy, easygoing, effortless, ethereal, facile, flimsy, gentle, gossamery, light, light weight, lightsome, lightweight, mild, potty, runaway, sketchy, toilless, unlabored, unlaboured), искусный (adroit, artful, daedal, deft, habile, hackish, handy, ingenious, neat, neat-handed, proficient, skilful, skilled, underwater, well-made, workmanlike), изящный (airy, dainty, dinky, distingue, dressy, elegant, fine, jimp, neat, nice, nifty, nobby, polite, refined, slim, slinky), деликатный;хрупкий, деликатный (considerate, kid glove). (various references)

Scottish

meirbh (spiritless, va. digest in the stomach), meachair (agreeable, tender), maoth (effeminate, soft, tender), mìn (even on the, soft, tender to the touch; smooth). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

delikatan (dainty, ticklish), nežan (affectionate, dainty, endearing, fond, frail, gentle, kind, loving, melting, tender). (various references)

Spanish

fino (choice, dainty, discriminating, fine, gaunt, genteel, gossamer, ladylike, lean, nice, polished, refined, semiprecious, sharp, sheer, shrewd, slender, suave, subtil, subtile, subtle, thin), delicado (daintier, dainty, dead, exquisite, fastidious, finicky, frail, fussy, hard to please, hard to speak, hypersensitive, kid glove, killed, particular, polite, refined, sharp, squeamish, subtile, subtle, tenderly, too sensitive, very sensitive). (various references)

Swedish

delikat (delicious, scrumptious), känslig (exquisite, nice, responsive, sensitive, sharp, thin-skinned, touchy, vulnerable), finkänslig (discreet, tactful), fin (aristocratic, bully, choice, clean, dainty, delicious, dignified, discriminating, elegant, excellent, fine, finespun, first rate, gentee, genteel, grand, handsome, high pitched, keen, ladylike, nice, polished, refined, select, sensitive, slender, smart, soft, superior, swell, tactful, tender, tenuous, thin), ömtålig (breakable, damageable, fragile, frail, perishable, sensitive, weak). (various references)

Turkish

duyarlı (capable, emotional, feeling, hypersensitive, impressible, impressionable, liable, reactive, responsive, sensible, sensitive, sentient, susceptible, susceptive, tender, thin-skinned), düşünceli (abstracted, advised, circumspect, considerate, forethoughtful, meditative, minded, mindful, pensive, philosophic, philosophical, reflective, regardful, ruminant, ruminative, sophisticated, tactful, thoughtful, wistful, worried), nazlı (coy, rose water, spoilt, wayward), nazik (affable, attentive, brittle, civil, civilized, civil-spoken, complaisant, considerate, courteous, dainty, debonair, debonaire, decent, distingue, Douce, eggshell, exquisite, fair, genteel, gentle, gracious, kid glove, kind, mannerly, mild, obliging, parliamentary, polished, polite, suave, sweet-natured, tender, ticklish, tickly, touchy, trickish, tricky, urbane, well disposed), narin (fine, fragile, frail, slender, slight, slim, sylphish, sylphlike, sylphy, willowy), lezzetli (dainty, delicious, goluptious, luscious, palatable, sapid, Savory, savoury, succulent, tasteful, tasty, toothsome, yummy, zestful), ince (attenuate, attic, brittle, civilized, courteous, dainty, fine, fragile, graceful, gracile, gracious, keen, lean, nice, polite, precision, refined, scarious, sharp, slender, slim, subtile, subtle, sylphish, sylphlike, sylphy, tenuous, thin, trickish, tricksy, tricky, urbane, vaporous), hassas (brittle, climacteric, critical, emotional, exquisite, fair, feeling, fine, impressible, impressionable, nice, passibile, precision, queasy, quick, raw, responsive, rose water, sensible, sensitive, slippery, sore, spoony, squeamish, susceptible, susceptive, tender, thin-skinned, ticklish, tickly, touchy), güvenli (confident, foolproof, reliable, safe, secure, snug, trustworthy). (various references)

Turkmen 

яuka (slender, thin), nдzik (gentle, tender). (various references)

Ukrainian

слабкий (bedrid, characterless, crank, faint, feeble, flagging, languishing, lax, limp, nerveless, one horse, pale, queasy, slack, tender, tenuous, weak, weakly), тендітний (fragile, slim, weak), витончений (airy, attic, bijou, choice, curious, dainty, elegant, fastidious, fine, lepid, nice, rarefied, refined, slender, slinky, subtile, subtle, super, twee, zing), вишуканий (accomplished, ambitious, becoming, chic, choice, courtly, dainty, distinguished, dressmaker, exquisite, fine, foppish, kid glove, minion, nice, nutty, polished, polite, precious, quaint, recherche, trim, way up), ніжний (affectional, affectionate, balmy, devoted, fatherly, fond, melting, sentimental, silken, silky, sisterly, soft, tender), м'який (cat-like, cottony, creamy, downy, genial, gentle, kindly, limp, melodious, mild, mushy, non-rigid, pulpy, soft, yielding), зроблений з смаком, елегантний (becoming, chic, debonair, elegant, genteel, graceful, nice, nifty, primp, silk stocking, smirk, spiffed, swagger, swell, well-tailored). (various references)

Vietnamese 

tế nhị (exquisite, kid glove, nice, nicely, witty), cảnh vẻ, khó xử lịch thiệp, khoái trí, mảnh khảnh (slender, slight, slim, svelte), nhã nhặn (affable, civil-spoken, courteous, courtly), nhạt (female, vapid, washy, weak, wishy-washy), ý tứ nhẹ, nhẹ nhàng; mềm mại tế nhị, yểu điệu, thánh thú mỏng manh, thính (exquisite, sharp), thanh nhã (graceful, polished, smart), thanh tú, tinh tế; khéo léo, tinh xảo, vui thích, nhạy ngon; thanh cảnh nâng niu chiều chuộng. (various references)

Welsh

manw+aidd (fine), llednais (meek, modest), gwanllyd (weakly), cynnil (economical). (various references)

delicata, delicatae, delicate, delicati, delicatum, delicatus, exquisitus, munda, mundae, mundam, mundas, mundi, mundis, mundissima, mundissimae, mundissimis, mundissimo, mundo, mundos, mundum, mundus, subtilior, subtilis, tener tenera tenerum, tenues, tenui, tenuis, tenuissimum, tenuitatem. (various references)

deliciosus. (various references)

blando. (various references)

fin, prim. (various references)

prim. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Derivations

Words beginning with "delicate": delicately, delicates, delicatessen, delicatessens. (additional references)

Words ending with "delicate": indelicate. (additional references)

Words containing "delicate": indelicately, indelicateness, indelicatenesses. (additional references)

Misspellings

"Delicate" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: deficate, Delacorta, Delapage, deleate, deliate, Delicare, delicase, delicated, delicati, Deliciae, delieate, delimate, delinate, deliwate, dellicate, delocate, dilicate, Drlica, dulicate, dylycate, edicate, edicatte. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

-1 letter: citadel, cleated, deltaic, dialect, edictal.

-2 letters: aedile, atelic, ceiled, deceit, decile, delate, delict, deltic, detail, dilate, elated, ideate, tailed, talced.

-3 letters: acted, ailed, alcid, cadet, cited, clade, cleat, dealt, decal, deice, delta, dicta, eclat, edict, edile, elate, elect, elide, elite, ideal, ileac, laced, lated, telae, telia, telic, tical, tidal, tilde, tiled.

-4 letters: aced, acid.

+1 letter: decaliter, delicates, elucidate.

+2 letters: cartelised, cartelized, credential, creditable, decaliters, delicately, elucidated, elucidates, explicated, facelifted, geodetical, indelicate, interlaced, maledicted, pediculate, replicated.

+3 letters: acetanilide, adjectively, binucleated, centralised, centralized, clandestine, credentials, deceptional, declarative, dedicatedly, deglaciated, delectation, denticulate, eidetically, elasticized, elucidative, felicitated, geniculated, pedicellate, pediculates, predictable, reduplicate, reticulated, revictualed, vesiculated.

+4 letters: accreditable, acetanilides, cantilevered, cladogenetic, credentialed, decelerating, deceleration, decentralize, dechlorinate, decoratively, deescalating, deescalation, delectations, delicatessen, denticulated, detractively, dietetically, displacement, gesticulated, glycerinated, indelicately, intercalated, multifaceted, nucleotidase, recalibrated, recirculated, recultivated, reduplicated, reduplicates, reinoculated, relubricated, revictualled, vermiculated.