B1adjective · common

delicate

delicate · more delicate · most delicate

крихкий, ламкий, ломкий

деликатный, хрупкий, нежный, изящный

empfindlich, zart, schwierig, heikel

Easily damaged or requiring careful handlingEasily damaged or requiring careful handling.

ⓘ

UK/ˈdɛl.ɪ.kət/US/ˈdɛl.ɪ.kɪt/

» A rose's petals are very delicate.

Лепестки розы очень изящны.

Пелюстки троянди дуже витончені.

Meaning

13 senses

Easily damaged or requiring careful handling.
Those clothes are made from delicate lace.
The negotiations were very delicate.
empfindlich, heikel, schwierig
хру́пкийxrúpkij, делика́тныйdelikátnyj
easily broken or damaged or destroyed
Characterized by a fine structure or thin lines.
Her face was delicate.
The spider wove a delicate web.
feingliedrig, filigran, zart
делика́тныйdelikátnyj, изы́сканныйizýskannyj, изя́щныйizjáščnyj
Intended for use with fragile items.
Set the washing machine to the delicate cycle.
empfindlich
Refined; gentle; scrupulous not to trespass or offend; considerate; said of manners, conduct, or feelings.
delicate behaviour
delicate attentions
behutsam, feinfühlig, taktvoll
Of weak health; easily sick; unable to endure hardship.
a delicate child
delicate health
anfällig, schwächlich
боле́зненныйboléznennyj
(informal)Unwell, especially because of having drunk too much alcohol.
Please don't speak so loudly: I'm feeling a bit delicate this morning.
angeschlagen
разби́тыйrazbítyj
Pleasing to the senses; refined; adapted to please an elegant or cultivated taste.
a delicate dish
delicate flavour
köstlich, erlesen, delikat
Slight and shapely; lovely; graceful.
zart, grazil, anmutig
Light, or softly tinted; said of a colour.
a delicate shade of blue
leicht, sanft, zart
Of exacting tastes and habits; dainty; fastidious.
erlesen, ausgesucht, anspruchsvoll
Highly discriminating or perceptive; refinedly critical; sensitive; exquisite.
a delicate taste
a delicate ear for music
feinfühlig, empfindsam, wählerisch
Affected by slight causes; showing slight changes.
a delicate thermometer
empfindlich, hochempfindlich

Examples

168 sentences

A rose's petals are very delicate.
Пелюстки троянди дуже витончені.
ruЛепестки розы очень изящны.
CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · C1Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
I'm now in a delicate position.
Я зараз у делікатному становищі.
CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · B1Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
He was a weak and delicate child.
Він був слабкою і ніжною дитиною.
CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · B1Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
It's a delicate problem.
Це делікатна проблема.
ruЭто деликатная проблема.
deEs ist ein heikles Problem.
CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · B1Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
Tom was a delicate child.
Том був ніжною дитиною.
CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · B1Open on Tatoeba Report a problem

Translations

6 languages

Русский

By meaning 4

easily damaged or requiring careful handling:

characterized by a fine structure or thin lines:

of weak health, easily sick:

unwell, especially because of having drunk too much alcohol:

Deutsch

By meaning 12

easily damaged or requiring careful handling:

characterized by a fine structure or thin lines:

refined, gentle:

of weak health, easily sick:

unwell, especially because of having drunk too much alcohol:

addicted to pleasure:

pleasing to the senses; refined:

slight and shapely; lovely; graceful:

light, or softly tinted:

of exacting tastes and habits; dainty; fastidious.:

highly discriminating or perceptive:

affected by slight causes:

Origin

From Middle English delicat, from Latin dēlicātus (“giving pleasure, delightful, soft, lux

From Middle English delicat, from Latin dēlicātus (“giving pleasure, delightful, soft, luxurious, delicate, (in Medieval Latin also) fine, slender”), from dēlicia + -ātus (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), usually in plural dēliciae (“pleasure, delight, luxury”), from dēliciō (“to allure, entice”), from dē- (“away”) + laciō (“to lure, to deceive”), from Proto-Italic *lakjō (“to draw, pull”), of unknown ultimate origin. Compare delight, delicious and Spanish delgado (“thin, skinny”). The noun is from a substantivization of the adjective (see -ate).

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source