delicate

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: {fragile}, {frail}]

4: easily hurt; "soft hands"; "a baby's delicate skin" [syn: {soft}]

5: developed with extreme delicacy and subtlety; "the satire

touches with finespun ridicule every kind of human

pretense" [syn: {finespun}]

6: difficult to handle; requiring great tact; "delicate

negotiations with the big powers"; "hesitates to be

explicit on so ticklish a matter" [syn: {ticklish}]

7: of an instrument or device; capable of registering minute

differences or changes precisely; "almost undetectable

with even the most delicate instruments"