adverb
B2
Upper-Intermediate
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
1
In a careful, gentle, or fragile manner.
"She delicately placed the antique teacup back on its shelf."
2
With tact, especially when handling a sensitive topic.
"He delicately raised the issue of her recent absences."
How to use delicately
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishDoing something gently and carefully, or handling a sensitive topic with tact.
Common pairings
delicately balanced
delicately worded
handled delicately
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like delicately.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Word forms
- Comparative
- more delicately
- Superlative
- most delicately
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
She _____ placed the antique teacup back on its shelf.
Synonyms
View more →Related words
Rhymes for delicately
See all rhymes for delicately →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.
Featured in
Vocabulary lists that include delicately:
