1. Fine, subtle, and pleasing in a refined way
   "a delicate flavour"; "the delicate wing of a butterfly"; "a delicate violin passage"; "delicate china"
    
2. Easily broken, damaged or destroyed
   "a kite too delicate to fly safely";
   - fragile, frail
    
3. Marked by great skill especially in meticulous technique
   "a surgeon's delicate touch"
    
4. Easily hurt
   "a baby's delicate skin";
   - soft
    
5. Developed with extreme delicacy and subtlety
   "the satire touches with delicate ridicule every kind of human pretence";
   - finespun
    
6. Difficult to handle; requiring great tact
   "delicate negotiations with the big powers";
   - ticklish, touchy, tickly
    
7. Of an instrument or device; capable of registering minute differences or changes precisely
   "almost undetectable with even the most delicate instruments"
    
8. Of weak or poor health; easily made sick
   "The delicate child was often absent from school due to illness"

See also: breakable, dainty, difficult, ethereal, etherial, exquisite, fragile, frail, gossamer, hard, light-handed, overdelicate, pastel, refined, sensitive, skilled, strength, tender, untoughened, weak

Antonym: rugged

Encyclopedia: Delicate, Petite & Other Things I'll Never Be