delicately

[ del-i-kit-lee ]

adverb

1. in a careful way:

   They stepped delicately among the brambles and exposed rocks.

   Aggressive removal of the tumor must be delicately balanced with the risk of injury to adjacent normal tissue.

2. in a tactful or sensitive way:

   Employee issues need to be managed delicately, with empathy and an open perspective.

3. in a faint, subtle, quiet, or barely perceptible way:

   Dessert was perfection: perfectly moist and delicately flavored ricotta and rhubarb cakes with a big dollop of creamy vanilla mascarpone.

   The eye-catching Himalayan honeysuckle has pendant spikes of deep red bracts with white, delicately scented flowers and red-purple berries.

4. showing or using precision or refinement:

   The region is a famous center for embroidery and appliqué work, painted pottery, and delicately carved wooden doors.

Other Words From

• hy·per·del·i·cate·ly adverb
• non·del·i·cate·ly adverb
• qua·si-del·i·cate·ly adverb
• su·per·del·i·cate·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of delicately¹

delicate ( def ) + -ly

Example Sentences

How does one put this delicately?

From Los Angeles Times

It kills trees that have a role to play in stimulating rainclouds to form, which disrupts delicately balanced rainfall cycles - creating a feedback loop leading to further drought.

From BBC

The finishing touches are delicately made on our pieces as time winds down on our designated hour.

From Los Angeles Times

Still, so many standout stage numbers — “Flowers” from “Hadestown,” “I Dreamed a Dream” from “Les Miserables” — begin relatively delicately, as its damaged characters are at their lowest moments, and are delivered with a fragility that’s both emotionally palpable and pleasing to the ear.

From Los Angeles Times

In the film, Lee is both the model and the author of this image and creating it is cathartic, leading to an emotional breakdown for Davy, delicately conveyed by Samberg.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• beautifully
• cautiously
• deftly
• elegantly
• exquisitely
• finely
• gracefully
• lightly
• sensitively
• skillfully
• softly
• subtly
• tactfully