delicately
gb/dˈɛlɪkɪtli/ us/dˈɛlɪkɪtli/
B1
Αγγλικά
óvatosan, gyengéden, tapintatosan, finoman, kecsesen, törékenyen, kényes egyensúlyban
B1
1
Μοτίβο χρήσης:
[do something] delicately; handle/touch [something] delicately
She lifted the sleeping baby delicately so she wouldn’t wake him.
Óvatosan emelte fel az alvó kisbabát, nehogy felébressze.
Remove the foil delicately to avoid tearing the pastry.
Óvatosan vedd le a fóliát, nehogy elszakadjon a tészta.
He touched the bruise delicately and winced.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
Please handle the glass delicately.
Kérlek, óvatosan bánj a pohárral.
She held the bird delicately in her hands.
Gyengéden tartotta a madarat a kezében.
Συχνό λάθος:
Learners sometimes use it where only 'carefully' is meant; 'delicately' often implies fragility or gentleness.
Σημασία
gently and with great care
Συνδυασμοί λέξεων
handle delicately
|touch delicately
|lift delicately
|place delicately
|pick up delicately
|move delicately
|hold delicately
|remove delicately
|wipe delicately
|set down delicately
Συνώνυμα
gently (Emphasizes softness and light force.)
|
carefully (Emphasizes attention and avoiding mistakes.)
|
gingerly (Emphasizes caution because something may break or hurt.)
Αντώνυμα
roughly (With too much force or without care.)
|
clumsily (Without skill or control.)
Θέματα
daily_life
|objects
|health
Ορισμός
in a gentle and careful way
In a gentle, careful way that avoids damage, pain, or disturbance.
B2
2
tapintatosan
B2
finoman
A2
Μοτίβο χρήσης:
speak/ask/raise/mention [something] delicately
She tried to bring up the salary issue delicately.
Tapintatosan próbálta felhozni a fizetés kérdését.
He delicately suggested that the plan might need a rethink.
Tapintatosan felvetette, hogy talán újra kellene gondolni a tervet.
The doctor explained the results delicately but clearly.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
I spoke delicately about her mistake.
Tapintatosan beszéltem a hibájáról.
He asked delicately about my age.
Tapintatosan rákérdezett az életkoromra.
Συχνό λάθος:
Not the same as 'politely' in general; it’s used when the topic is awkward or personal.
Σημασία
tactfully about sensitive topics
Συνδυασμοί λέξεων
speak delicately
|ask delicately
|raise the issue delicately
|approach it delicately
|mention it delicately
|put it delicately
|handle it delicately
|word it delicately
|suggest delicately
|hint delicately
Συνώνυμα
tactfully (Directly focuses on avoiding offense.)
|
diplomatically (Often used for disagreements or negotiations.)
|
sensitively (Emphasizes awareness of feelings.)
Αντώνυμα
bluntly (In a direct way that may sound rude.)
|
tactlessly (Without sensitivity to others’ feelings.)
Θέματα
communication
|relationships
|emotions
Ορισμός
in a polite, careful way about something sensitive
In a tactful, sensitive way that avoids offending or upsetting someone.
B2
3
finoman
A2
Μοτίβο χρήσης:
delicately + [flavoured/scented/coloured/patterned/shaded]
The fish was delicately flavoured with lemon and herbs.
A halat finoman ízesítették citrommal és zöldfűszerekkel.
The room was delicately scented with jasmine.
A szobát finom jázminillat lengte be.
The scarf was delicately patterned in pale blue and grey.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
The soup is delicately spiced.
A leves finoman fűszerezett.
The candle is delicately scented.
A gyertya finoman illatozik.
Συχνό λάθος:
Don’t confuse with 'deliciously' (tasty). 'Delicately' often means subtle, not strong.
Σημασία
with a light, subtle quality
Συνδυασμοί λέξεων
delicately flavoured
|delicately scented
|delicately perfumed
|delicately spiced
|delicately sweet
|delicately coloured
|delicately patterned
|delicately shaded
|delicately tinted
|delicately lit
Συνώνυμα
subtly (Highlights that the effect is not obvious or strong.)
|
lightly (Often used for flavouring or colouring in small amounts.)
|
faintly (Suggests the quality is barely noticeable.)
Αντώνυμα
strongly (With a powerful taste, smell, or effect.)
|
heavily (With too much added flavour/colour or too intense an effect.)
Θέματα
food
|art_design
|sensory
Ορισμός
in a light or gentle way (taste, smell, colour)
In a way that is light, fine, or subtle in taste, smell, colour, or appearance.
B2
4
Μοτίβο χρήσης:
move/step/smile/gesture delicately
She stepped delicately across the wet stones.
Kecsesen lépdelt át a nedves köveken.
He smiled delicately and changed the subject.
Finoman elmosolyodott, majd témát váltott.
The ballerina moved delicately, almost floating.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
She walked delicately in high heels.
Kecsesen járt magas sarkú cipőben.
He moved delicately like a dancer.
Kecsesen mozgott, akár egy táncos.
Συχνό λάθος:
This use is about style and grace, not only about being careful with fragile things.
Σημασία
in a graceful, refined way
Συνδυασμοί λέξεων
move delicately
|step delicately
|walk delicately
|dance delicately
|smile delicately
|gesture delicately
|rest delicately
|sit delicately
|laugh delicately
|hold delicately
Συνώνυμα
gracefully (More general; not necessarily small or fine.)
|
daintily (Often suggests small, fine, or traditionally feminine grace.)
Αντώνυμα
awkwardly (Without grace or ease.)
|
heavily (With weight or lack of lightness.)
Θέματα
body_language
|arts
|social_life
Ορισμός
in a graceful, gentle way
In a graceful, refined, or dainty way, especially in movement or expression.
C1
5
Μοτίβο χρήσης:
delicately + [balanced/poised/placed/positioned]; [be] delicately [dependent/structured]
The coalition was delicately held together by a single shared goal.
A koalíciót mindössze egyetlen közös cél tartotta törékeny egységben.
The sculpture was delicately poised on a narrow base.
A szobor kényes egyensúlyban állt egy keskeny talapzaton.
The ecosystem is delicately balanced and vulnerable to small changes.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
The plan is delicately balanced.
A terv kényes egyensúlyra épül.
Their agreement is delicately maintained.
Megállapodásukat törékeny egyensúlyban tartják fenn.
Συχνό λάθος:
Often used with 'balanced' or 'poised' to show something could easily go wrong.
Σημασία
in a fragile, precarious way
Συνδυασμοί λέξεων
delicately balanced
|delicately poised
|delicately placed
|delicately positioned
|delicately dependent
|delicately structured
|delicately maintained
|delicately adjusted
|delicately calibrated
|delicately arranged
Συνώνυμα
precariously (Emphasizes danger of failure or collapse.)
|
finely (Emphasizes precise adjustment and small margins.)
Αντώνυμα
securely (Not easily disturbed or endangered.)
|
firmly (Stable and solid, not easily moved or changed.)
Θέματα
business
|politics
|science
|risk
Ορισμός
in a way that can easily change or fail
In a way that is finely adjusted and easily upset, changed, or harmed.
Γραμματική
Λημματική μορφή
delicately
IPA
GB/dˈɛlɪkɪtli/
US/dˈɛlɪkɪtli/
Συλλαβές και τόνος
del - ic - ately (3 συλλαβές)
Stress on 1st syllable (del)
Τύποι λέξης
Noun
- Base: delicately
- Plural: delicatelies
Οικογένεια λέξεων
Εκφράσεις
broach (something) delicately
1/bɹˈoʊt͡ʃ sˈʌmθɪŋ dˈɛlɪkɪtli/
fixed phrase
formal
introduce a sensitive topic carefully
start talking about a difficult topic carefully
Παραδείγματα
- She broached the subject of divorce delicately, waiting for his reaction.
- I tried to broach the issue delicately with my boss.
- The counselor broached the topic delicately to avoid overwhelming her.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
- He broached the topic delicately.
- She broached it delicately with her parents.
delicately balanced
1/dˈɛlɪkɪtli bˈælənst/
fixed phrase
unstable but kept in balance
balanced but easy to disturb
Παραδείγματα
- The peace agreement is delicately balanced and could collapse at any moment.
- The budget is delicately balanced between new spending and tax rises.
- Her health is delicately balanced after the operation.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
- Their relationship is delicately balanced.
- The plan is delicately balanced.
handle (something) delicately
1/hˈændəl sˈʌmθɪŋ dˈɛlɪkɪtli/
fixed phrase
deal with something carefully
be very careful with something
Παραδείγματα
- These files contain personal data, so handle them delicately.
- We need to handle the complaint delicately to keep the customer.
- Please handle the antique vase delicately.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
- Handle the glass delicately.
- We must handle this problem delicately.
to put it delicately
1/tə pˈʊt ˈɪt dˈɛlɪkɪtli/
idiom
say something less harshly
used before a polite way of saying something negative
Παραδείγματα
- To put it delicately, your report needs a lot more work.
- He’s not the easiest person to work with, to put it delicately.
- To put it delicately, the dinner didn’t go as planned.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
- To put it delicately, I disagree.
- To put it delicately, it was a bad idea.
tread delicately
1/tɹˈɛd dˈɛlɪkɪtli/
fixed phrase
act carefully in a situation
be careful because the situation is sensitive
Παραδείγματα
- After the layoffs, managers had to tread delicately with the remaining staff.
- She knew she needed to tread delicately around the topic of money.
- The journalist tread delicately when asking about the scandal.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
- I have to tread delicately with this issue.
- We should tread delicately around him today.