Delicate - Definition

adj 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"
[ant: rugged]
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" [syn: delicate, fragile, frail]
4: easily hurt; "soft hands"; "a baby's delicate skin" [syn:
delicate, soft]
5: developed with extreme delicacy and subtlety; "the satire
touches with finespun ridicule every kind of human pretense"
[syn: finespun, delicate]
6: difficult to handle; requiring great tact; "delicate
negotiations with the big powers";"hesitates to be explicit
on so ticklish a matter"; "a touchy subject" [syn:
delicate, ticklish, touchy]
7: of an instrument or device; capable of registering minute
differences or changes precisely; "almost undetectable with
even the most delicate instruments"