delicate (adj.)
- abstruse
- accommodating
- accommodative
- accurate
- adept
- aerial
- agreeable
- airy
- allergic
- ambrosial
- anaphylactic
- appreciative
- arduous
- attentive
- attenuate
- attenuated
- balmy
- becoming
- boyish
- breakable
- brittle
- brutal
- careful
- cautious
- civilized
- close
- cobwebby
- complaisant
- complex
- conscientious
- considerate
- constant
- correct
- coy
- creamy
- crisp
- crispy
- critical
- crumbly
- cultivated
- cultured
- cunning
- cute
- dainty
- dangerous
- debilitated
- decent
- decorous
- decrepit
- delectable
- delicious
- delightful
- demanding
- demure
- detailed
- diaphanous
- differential
- difficult
- diluted
- diplomatic
- direct
- discerning
- discreet
- discriminate
- discriminating
- discriminative
- distinctive
- downy
- easy
- effeminate
- elegant
- empathetic
- empathic
- ethereal
- even
- exact
- exacting
- exigent
- expert
- express
- exquisite
- faint
- faithful
- fastidious
- feeble
- filmy
- fine
- fine-grained
- finespun
- finical
- finicky
- fissile
- flat
- flimsy
- fluffy
- foresighted
- formidable
- fragile
- frail
- frangible
- friable
- fussy
- fuzzy
- gauzy
- gentle
- gimcrack
- girlish
- good
- goosy
- gossamer
- graceful
- gracile
- gracious
- gradual
- gusty
- hairsplitting
- hairy
- hard
- hard-fought
- heedful
- helpful
- hypersensitive
- impressionable
- indulgent
- inerrable
- inerrant
- infallible
- infirm
- insubstantial
- intricate
- iridescent
- irritable
- itchy
- jerry-built
- juicy
- knotted
- knotty
- laborious
- lacy
- lenient
- light
- lightweight
- likable
- luscious
- lush
- masterly
- mathematical
- mean
- mellow
- meticulous
- microscopic
- mild
- mindful
- minute
- misty
- modest
- muted
- nacreous
- namby-pamby
- narrow
- nervous
- nice
- nonrigid
- obliging
- opalescent
- operose
- overrefined
- oversensitive
- palatable
- pale
- papery
- particular
- pastel
- pearly
- perceptive
- perishable
- persnickety
- pleasing
- polished
- politic
- precarious
- precise
- prickly
- proficient
- proper
- prudent
- prudish
- pubescent
- punctilious
- punctual
- puny
- queasy
- quiet
- rare
- rarefied
- receptive
- recherche
- refined
- regardful
- religious
- responsive
- rigid
- rigorous
- rough
- rugged
- sad
- sapid
- satiny
- savory
- scientific
- scrumptious
- scrupulous
- seemly
- select
- selective
- sensible
- sensitive
- severe
- shivery
- sickly
- silky
- simple
- sissified
- skittish
- sleazy
- slender
- slight
- slim
- slippery
- slippy
- small
- smooth
- sober
- soft
- softened
- softhearted
- solicitous
- somber
- sophisticated
- spiny
- splintery
- square
- squeamish
- steep
- sticky
- strenuous
- strict
- subdued
- subtle
- succulent
- superior
- supersensitive
- susceptible
- svelte
- sweet
- sylphlike
- sympathetic
- tacky
- tactful
- tactical
- tasty
- tender
- tenderhearted
- tenuous
- tetchy
- thin
- thin-bodied
- thin-skinned
- thorny
- thoughtful
- threadlike
- ticklish
- toilsome
- tolerant
- toothsome
- touch-and-go
- touchy
- tough
- tricky
- uncertain
- undeviating
- unerring
- unhealthy
- unpredictable
- unsubstantial
- uphill
- vague
- velvety
- volatile
- vulnerable
- warmhearted
- wary
- wasp-waisted
- watered
- watery
- weak
- weakened
- wicked
- willowy
- wispy
- womanish
- yummy
O curse of marriage,
That we can call these delicate creatures ours,
And not their appetites! I had rather be a toad,
And live upon the vapour of a dungeon,
Than keep a corner in the thing I love
For others' uses.
