delicately

DEH-lih-kuht-lee

Delicately (adverb) means in a careful, gentle, or fragile manner. Example: “She delicately placed the antique teacup back on its shelf.”

adverb

In a careful, gentle, or fragile manner.

"She delicately placed the antique teacup back on its shelf."

With tact, especially when handling a sensitive topic.

"He delicately raised the issue of her recent absences."

How to Use Delicately

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishDoing something gently and carefully, or handling a sensitive topic with tact.

Common pairings

delicately balanced delicately worded handled delicately

Word Forms

more delicately comparative, most delicately superlative

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She _____ placed the antique teacup back on its shelf.

Rhymes for delicately

Ely rely Neely comely lonely timely lovely homely widely lively lately rarely

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does “delicately” mean?

The word “delicately” means in a careful, gentle, or fragile manner. In plain terms, doing something gently and carefully, or handling a sensitive topic with tact.

How do you pronounce “delicately”?

“Delicately” is pronounced DEH-lih-kuht-lee (/ˈdɛlɪkətli/ in IPA).

How do you use “delicately” in a sentence?

Here is “delicately” used in a sentence: “She delicately placed the antique teacup back on its shelf.”

What part of speech is “delicately”?

“Delicately” is an adverb.

How many meanings does “delicately” have?

“Delicately” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: in a careful, gentle, or fragile manner.