delicately
gb/dˈɛlɪkɪtli/ us/dˈɛlɪkɪtli/
B1
Anglais
óvatosan, gyengéden, tapintatosan, finoman, kecsesen, törékenyen, kényes egyensúlyban
B1
1
Schéma d’usage :
[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.
Exemples pédagogiques
Please handle the glass delicately.
Kérlek, óvatosan bánj a pohárral.
She held the bird delicately in her hands.
Gyengéden tartotta a madarat a kezében.
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes use it where only 'carefully' is meant; 'delicately' often implies fragility or gentleness.
Sens
gently and with great care
Collocations
handle delicately
|touch delicately
|lift delicately
|place delicately
|pick up delicately
|move delicately
|hold delicately
|remove delicately
|wipe delicately
|set down delicately
Synonymes
gently (Emphasizes softness and light force.)
|
carefully (Emphasizes attention and avoiding mistakes.)
|
gingerly (Emphasizes caution because something may break or hurt.)
Antonymes
roughly (With too much force or without care.)
|
clumsily (Without skill or control.)
Thèmes
daily_life
|objects
|health
Définition
in a gentle and careful way
In a gentle, careful way that avoids damage, pain, or disturbance.
B2
2
tapintatosan
B2
finoman
A2
Schéma d’usage :
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.
Exemples pédagogiques
I spoke delicately about her mistake.
Tapintatosan beszéltem a hibájáról.
He asked delicately about my age.
Tapintatosan rákérdezett az életkoromra.
Erreur fréquente :
Not the same as 'politely' in general; it’s used when the topic is awkward or personal.
Sens
tactfully about sensitive topics
Collocations
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
Synonymes
tactfully (Directly focuses on avoiding offense.)
|
diplomatically (Often used for disagreements or negotiations.)
|
sensitively (Emphasizes awareness of feelings.)
Antonymes
bluntly (In a direct way that may sound rude.)
|
tactlessly (Without sensitivity to others’ feelings.)
Thèmes
communication
|relationships
|emotions
Définition
in a polite, careful way about something sensitive
In a tactful, sensitive way that avoids offending or upsetting someone.
B2
3
finoman
A2
Schéma d’usage :
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.
Exemples pédagogiques
The soup is delicately spiced.
A leves finoman fűszerezett.
The candle is delicately scented.
A gyertya finoman illatozik.
Erreur fréquente :
Don’t confuse with 'deliciously' (tasty). 'Delicately' often means subtle, not strong.
Sens
with a light, subtle quality
Collocations
delicately flavoured
|delicately scented
|delicately perfumed
|delicately spiced
|delicately sweet
|delicately coloured
|delicately patterned
|delicately shaded
|delicately tinted
|delicately lit
Synonymes
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.)
Antonymes
strongly (With a powerful taste, smell, or effect.)
|
heavily (With too much added flavour/colour or too intense an effect.)
Thèmes
food
|art_design
|sensory
Définition
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
Schéma d’usage :
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.
Exemples pédagogiques
She walked delicately in high heels.
Kecsesen járt magas sarkú cipőben.
He moved delicately like a dancer.
Kecsesen mozgott, akár egy táncos.
Erreur fréquente :
This use is about style and grace, not only about being careful with fragile things.
Sens
in a graceful, refined way
Collocations
move delicately
|step delicately
|walk delicately
|dance delicately
|smile delicately
|gesture delicately
|rest delicately
|sit delicately
|laugh delicately
|hold delicately
Synonymes
gracefully (More general; not necessarily small or fine.)
|
daintily (Often suggests small, fine, or traditionally feminine grace.)
Antonymes
awkwardly (Without grace or ease.)
|
heavily (With weight or lack of lightness.)
Thèmes
body_language
|arts
|social_life
Définition
in a graceful, gentle way
In a graceful, refined, or dainty way, especially in movement or expression.
C1
5
Schéma d’usage :
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.
Exemples pédagogiques
The plan is delicately balanced.
A terv kényes egyensúlyra épül.
Their agreement is delicately maintained.
Megállapodásukat törékeny egyensúlyban tartják fenn.
Erreur fréquente :
Often used with 'balanced' or 'poised' to show something could easily go wrong.
Sens
in a fragile, precarious way
Collocations
delicately balanced
|delicately poised
|delicately placed
|delicately positioned
|delicately dependent
|delicately structured
|delicately maintained
|delicately adjusted
|delicately calibrated
|delicately arranged
Synonymes
precariously (Emphasizes danger of failure or collapse.)
|
finely (Emphasizes precise adjustment and small margins.)
Antonymes
securely (Not easily disturbed or endangered.)
|
firmly (Stable and solid, not easily moved or changed.)
Thèmes
business
|politics
|science
|risk
Définition
in a way that can easily change or fail
In a way that is finely adjusted and easily upset, changed, or harmed.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
delicately
API
GB/dˈɛlɪkɪtli/
US/dˈɛlɪkɪtli/
Syllabes et accentuation
del - ic - ately (3 syllabes)
Stress on 1st syllable (del)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: delicately
- Plural: delicatelies
Famille de mots
Expressions
broach (something) delicately
1/bɹˈoʊt͡ʃ sˈʌmθɪŋ dˈɛlɪkɪtli/
fixed phrase
formal
introduce a sensitive topic carefully
start talking about a difficult topic carefully
Exemples
- 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.
Exemples pédagogiques
- 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
Exemples
- 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.
Exemples pédagogiques
- 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
Exemples
- 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.
Exemples pédagogiques
- 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
Exemples
- 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.
Exemples pédagogiques
- 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
Exemples
- 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.
Exemples pédagogiques
- I have to tread delicately with this issue.
- We should tread delicately around him today.