[adjective] exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury; "a delicate violin passage"; "delicate china"; "a delicate flavor"; "the delicate wing of a butterfly"
[adjective] marked by great skill especially in meticulous technique; "a surgeon's delicate touch"
[adjective] easily broken or damaged or destroyed; "a kite too delicate to fly safely"; "fragile porcelain plates"; "fragile old bones"; "a frail craft" Synonyms:fragile, frail
[adjective] easily hurt; "soft hands"; "a baby's delicate skin" Synonyms:soft
[adjective] developed with extreme delicacy and subtlety; "the satire touches with finespun ridicule every kind of human pretense" Synonyms:finespun
[adjective] difficult to handle; requiring great tact; "delicate negotiations with the big powers"; "hesitates to be explicit on so ticklish a matter" Synonyms:ticklish
[adjective] of an instrument or device; capable of registering minute differences or changes precisely; "almost undetectable with even the most delicate instruments"
