How to use delicate in a sentence

40 example sentences · adjective, noun

Delicate means easily damaged or requiring careful handling. Example: “Those clothes are made from delicate lace.”

Examples of delicate by meaning

adjectiveEasily damaged or requiring careful handling.

Those clothes are made from delicate lace.
The negotiations were very delicate.
Indeed, the frosty god conspired with it for our delight; building crystal bridges, with tracery of lace delicater than Valenciennes, and spangled string-pieces, and fretted vaultings, whimsical sierras, stalactite and stalagmite.1903, Julian Hawthorne, chapter II, in Hawthorne and His Circle, New York, N.Y.; London: Harper & Brothers, →OCLC, page 28

adjectiveCharacterized by a fine structure or thin lines.

Her face was delicate.
The spider wove a delicate web.
There was a delicate pattern of frost on the window.

adjectiveIntended for use with fragile items.

Set the washing machine to the delicate cycle.

adjectiveOf weak health; easily sick; unable to endure hardship.

a delicate child

adjectiveUnwell, especially because of having drunk too much alcohol.

Please don't speak so loudly: I'm feeling a bit delicate this morning.

adjectivePleasing to the senses; refined; adapted to please an elegant or cultivated taste.

a delicate dish

adjectiveLight, or softly tinted; said of a colour.

a delicate shade of blue

adjectiveHighly discriminating or perceptive; refinedly critical; sensitive; exquisite.

a delicate taste
a delicate ear for music

More sentences with delicate

Her features had a delicate cast to them.From the entry cast
The chest was decorated with delicate wood carvings.From the entry wood carving
Spicy but delicate Vienna sausages are eaten with various dishes such as sauerkraut or as a snack by themselves, with or without relish.From the entry Vienna sausage
Nibs can be scratchy in soap, so this may not be best for delicate areas.2024, Raven Hanna, One Cacao Tree, page 130. From the entry nibby
His fingers were slender and delicate, an evolutionary advantage for a safecracker.2023, Colson Whitehead, Crook Manifesto, Fleet, page 281. From the entry safecracker
She spread her labia further, both sets of lips protecting the vestibule, the delicate area between them.2021, Leone Ross, This One Sky Day, Faber & Faber Limited, page 318. From the entry vestibule
The damsel-in-distress archetype probably conjures up images of delicate maidens and chivalrous gentlemen.2020 May 27, Ruby Hamad, “A White Damsel Leveraged Racial Power and Failed”, in New York Times. From the entry damsel in distress
“Y’gotta be very delicate with cancer patients, and the ‘we’ works like a charm.” He seemed sincere.[2019 November, Samuel Shem [pseudonym; Stephen Joseph Bergman], “The Sick Empire”, in Man’s 4th Best Hospital, New York, N.Y.: Berkley…. From the entry we
What Kruta found in the ammonoid fossils was an unfoldable radula covered with delicate, comblike teeth.2017, Danna Staaf, Squid Empire, ForeEdge, →ISBN, page 98. From the entry radula
He stroked the supple leather, imagining it molded to Avily's creamy, delicate flesh.2017 March 9, Jodi Redford, Lover Enraptured, Jodi Redford. From the entry plumpage
“The boys pump sweet jelly into the little triangle, careful not to overfill its delicate folds.2016 June 6, Teresa Hsiao, “Garfield and Friends” (11:56 from the start), in American Dad!, season 13, episode 19, spoken by Principal…. From the entry hamantaschen
That wildflower meadow may be an Instaworthy campsite – but your tent can crush delicate vegetation.2016, Darby Levin & Haley Weiss, "Trail Foods: Noshing in Nature", Penn Appétit (University of Pennsylvania), Spring 2016, page 17. From the entry Instaworthy
These delicate melt-in-your mouth cookies have a luscious “peanut buttery” taste without the peanuts.2015, Judi Zucker, Shari Zucker, The Ultimate Allergy-Free Cookbook: Over 150 Easy-to-Make Recipes That Contain No Milk, Eggs, Wheat…. From the entry peanut buttery
Selling of any sort—whether traditional sales or non-sales selling—requires a delicate balance of inspecting and responding.2013, Daniel H. Pink, “Attunement”, in To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth about Persuading, Convincing and Influencing Others…. From the entry ambivert
She had fine, delicate features with high cheekbones and the greenest eyes he'd ever seen.2011, Ann Major, Nobody's Child, →ISBN. From the entry hunt
The meat is extremely tender and delicate, making it a perfect choice for stir-fries.2011, Janice Cole, chapter IC, in Chicken and Egg: A Memoir of Suburban Homesteading with 125 Recipes, page 152. From the entry chicken tender
Where once stood silicone-injected breasts and delicate shoulders, now stands ripped pecs and striated delts.2011, Jeffrey A. Brown, Dangerous Curves: Action Heroines, Gender, Fetishism, and Popular Culture, Univ. Press of Mississippi, →ISBN, page…. From the entry hardbody
My favourite is purple sprouting broccoli, with its nutty, asparagussy flavour, delicate texture and rich colouring.2011, Jane Powers, The Living Garden: A Place That Works With Nature, London, England: Frances Lincoln Limited, →ISBN, page 132. From the entry asparagussy
Baseball plant can feel top-heavy when unpotting, as if the top could separate from the delicate roots.2011 April 3, Amy Bryant Aiello, Kate Bryant, “Terrestrial Orb”, in Terrarium Craft: Create 50 Magical Miniature Worlds, Timber Press…. From the entry baseball plant
Now a large segment of the media, the infotainers, are in a delicate position.2010, Brian C. Alston, Visions in Conflict: International Perspectives on Values and Enmity, page 146. From the entry infotainer
A soft, delicate creature of flesh and blood she would call Woman.2009, Danielle Devon, Divinity in Chains - Page 6. From the entry castling
Presumably Mary is to carry messages that she, Anne, is too delicate to convey direct.2009, Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall, Fourth Estate, published 2010, page 346. From the entry direct
It has a somewhat neutral, nutty taste and it is used to texture delicate cooking.2009, Pat Chapman, India Food and Cooking: The Ultimate Book on Indian Cuisine, page 53. From the entry cooking
"Are we talking a delicate little Scandinavian pfft, or the whole raspberry tart?"2008, Nicholas Drayson, A Guide to the Birds of East Africa, page 28. From the entry pfft
We wade through the delicate water, the moon spilling on our colourless bodies.2006, Tara June Winch, Swallow the Air, in Heiss & Minter, Macquarie PEN Anthology of Aboriginal Literature, Allen & Unwin 2008, p. 241. From the entry brolga
Samuel McIntyre, famed for his distinctive and delicate version of the English Adamesque style.2004, Carolyn K. Tolles, Bryant Franklin Tolles - Architecture in Salem: An Illustrated Guide. From the entry Adamesque
The delicate vanillalike aroma that gave the bush its name wafted around her.2000 February, Karen Robards, Ghost Moon, Dell Publishing, →ISBN, page 94. From the entry vanillalike

Meaning of delicate

adjective Easily damaged or requiring careful handling.
adjective Characterized by a fine structure or thin lines.
adjective Intended for use with fragile items.

Full definition of delicate

Questions about delicate in a sentence

How do you use delicate in a sentence?: Delicate is used as an adjective and noun. For example: “Those clothes are made from delicate lace.”
What is a short sentence with delicate?: “a delicate child”
What does delicate mean?: Delicate means easily damaged or requiring careful handling.

Adapted from Wiktionary: delicate (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “How to use delicate in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/delicate. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.