delicate
part of speech
adjective (delicate, more delicate, most delicate)
meaning for a pupil
1) Delicate means easily broken or damaged, so it needs gentle care. tree →
2) Delicate means fine, thin or light and pretty, like lace or a butterfly's wings. tree →
3) A delicate taste, colour or smell is soft and not strong. tree →
4) A delicate situation needs careful handling so nobody is upset. tree →
sense in the lessons
In everyday life: delicate glasses, eggs, wash on a delicate cycle. In science, ecosystems and coral reefs are delicate. In stories, a delicate problem needs tact. Phrases: «handle with care, delicate», «a delicate balance», «a delicate matter».
examples
- Be careful, the glass vase is very delicate. tree →
- A butterfly has delicate wings. tree →
- Wash this jumper on the delicate setting. tree →
- The soup had a delicate flavour of herbs. tree →
- Coral reefs are delicate and easily damaged. tree →
- Telling your friend the truth was a delicate matter. tree →
- The lace on the dress was delicate and white. tree →
- She was pretty and delicate indeed. tree →
note
Pronounced «DEL-i-kut». Opposites: «strong», «sturdy», «tough». The noun is «delicacy», which can also mean a special food. Not to be confused with «delicious». Not a number word.
In the corpora
- Bright camera flashes over years can fade delicate colours and annoy visitors; many museums allow photos without flash.
- Goggles are worn in the school lab because eyes are delicate and some chemicals damage them in seconds.
- "In a delicate condition" means pregnant; it is old-fashioned.
- "Feeling delicate" in Britain is a polite way to say hungover.
- The comely and delicate one, the daughter of Zion, will I cut off.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «delicate» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.