אנגלית

delicately

gb/dˈɛlɪkɪtli/ us/dˈɛlɪkɪtli/
B1 אנגלית
משמעויות
0 משמעויות
adverb B1 property
1

gently and with great care

in a gentle and careful way

תבנית שימוש: [do something] delicately; handle/touch [something] delicately
טעות נפוצה:
Learners sometimes use it where only 'carefully' is meant; 'delicately' often implies fragility or gentleness.
מילים נרדפות
gently (Emphasizes softness and light force.) | carefully (Emphasizes attention and avoiding mistakes.) | gingerly (Emphasizes caution because something may break or hurt.)
הפכים
roughly (With too much force or without care.) | clumsily (Without skill or control.)
צירופים
handle delicately |touch delicately |lift delicately |place delicately |pick up delicately |move delicately |hold delicately |remove delicately |wipe delicately |set down delicately
נושאים
daily_life |objects |health
דוגמאות
  • She lifted the sleeping baby delicately so she wouldn’t wake him.
  • Remove the foil delicately to avoid tearing the pastry.
  • He touched the bruise delicately and winced.
דוגמאות ללומדים
  • Please handle the glass delicately.
  • She held the bird delicately in her hands.
adverb B2 property
2

tactfully about sensitive topics

in a polite, careful way about something sensitive

תבנית שימוש: speak/ask/raise/mention [something] delicately
טעות נפוצה:
Not the same as 'politely' in general; it’s used when the topic is awkward or personal.
מילים נרדפות
tactfully (Directly focuses on avoiding offense.) | diplomatically (Often used for disagreements or negotiations.) | sensitively (Emphasizes awareness of feelings.)
הפכים
bluntly (In a direct way that may sound rude.) | tactlessly (Without sensitivity to others’ feelings.)
צירופים
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
נושאים
communication |relationships |emotions
דוגמאות
  • She tried to bring up the salary issue delicately.
  • He delicately suggested that the plan might need a rethink.
  • The doctor explained the results delicately but clearly.
דוגמאות ללומדים
  • I spoke delicately about her mistake.
  • He asked delicately about my age.
adverb B2 property
3

with a light, subtle quality

in a light or gentle way (taste, smell, colour)

תבנית שימוש: delicately + [flavoured/scented/coloured/patterned/shaded]
טעות נפוצה:
Don’t confuse with 'deliciously' (tasty). 'Delicately' often means subtle, not strong.
מילים נרדפות
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.)
הפכים
strongly (With a powerful taste, smell, or effect.) | heavily (With too much added flavour/colour or too intense an effect.)
צירופים
delicately flavoured |delicately scented |delicately perfumed |delicately spiced |delicately sweet |delicately coloured |delicately patterned |delicately shaded |delicately tinted |delicately lit
נושאים
food |art_design |sensory
דוגמאות
  • The fish was delicately flavoured with lemon and herbs.
  • The room was delicately scented with jasmine.
  • The scarf was delicately patterned in pale blue and grey.
דוגמאות ללומדים
  • The soup is delicately spiced.
  • The candle is delicately scented.
adverb B2 property
4

in a graceful, refined way

in a graceful, gentle way

תבנית שימוש: move/step/smile/gesture delicately
טעות נפוצה:
This use is about style and grace, not only about being careful with fragile things.
מילים נרדפות
gracefully (More general; not necessarily small or fine.) | daintily (Often suggests small, fine, or traditionally feminine grace.)
הפכים
awkwardly (Without grace or ease.) | heavily (With weight or lack of lightness.)
צירופים
move delicately |step delicately |walk delicately |dance delicately |smile delicately |gesture delicately |rest delicately |sit delicately |laugh delicately |hold delicately
נושאים
body_language |arts |social_life
דוגמאות
  • She stepped delicately across the wet stones.
  • He smiled delicately and changed the subject.
  • The ballerina moved delicately, almost floating.
דוגמאות ללומדים
  • She walked delicately in high heels.
  • He moved delicately like a dancer.
adverb C1 property
5

in a fragile, precarious way

in a way that can easily change or fail

תבנית שימוש: delicately + [balanced/poised/placed/positioned]; [be] delicately [dependent/structured]
טעות נפוצה:
Often used with 'balanced' or 'poised' to show something could easily go wrong.
מילים נרדפות
precariously (Emphasizes danger of failure or collapse.) | finely (Emphasizes precise adjustment and small margins.)
הפכים
securely (Not easily disturbed or endangered.) | firmly (Stable and solid, not easily moved or changed.)
צירופים
delicately balanced |delicately poised |delicately placed |delicately positioned |delicately dependent |delicately structured |delicately maintained |delicately adjusted |delicately calibrated |delicately arranged
נושאים
business |politics |science |risk
דוגמאות
  • The coalition was delicately held together by a single shared goal.
  • The sculpture was delicately poised on a narrow base.
  • The ecosystem is delicately balanced and vulnerable to small changes.
דוגמאות ללומדים
  • The plan is delicately balanced.
  • Their agreement is delicately maintained.
דקדוק
צורת המילון
delicately
IPA
GB/dˈɛlɪkɪtli/
US/dˈɛlɪkɪtli/
הברות והטעמה
del - ic - ately (3 הברות)
Stress on 1st syllable (del)
צורות המילה
Noun
  • Base: delicately
  • Plural: delicatelies
משפחת מילים
Forms
delicatelies noun
Core family
delicate adjective A2 delicacy noun B1
Negative and opposite forms
indelicate adjective indelicately adverb
Advanced or less common
delicateness noun
ביטויים

broach (something) delicately

1
/bɹˈoʊt͡ʃ sˈʌmθɪŋ dˈɛlɪkɪtli/
fixed phrase formal

introduce a sensitive topic carefully

start talking about a difficult topic carefully

דוגמאות
  • 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.

delicately balanced

1
/dˈɛlɪkɪtli bˈælənst/
fixed phrase

unstable but kept in balance

balanced but easy to disturb

דוגמאות
  • 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.

handle (something) delicately

1
/hˈændəl sˈʌmθɪŋ dˈɛlɪkɪtli/
fixed phrase

deal with something carefully

be very careful with something

דוגמאות
  • 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.

to put it delicately

1
/tə pˈʊt ˈɪt dˈɛlɪkɪtli/
idiom

say something less harshly

used before a polite way of saying something negative

דוגמאות
  • 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.

tread delicately

1
/tɹˈɛd dˈɛlɪkɪtli/
fixed phrase

act carefully in a situation

be careful because the situation is sensitive

דוגמאות
  • 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.

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