delicacy

[ del-i-kuh-see ]

/ ˈdɛl ɪ kə si /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR delicacy ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural del·i·ca·cies.

fineness of texture, quality, etc.; softness; daintiness: the delicacy of lace.

something delightful or pleasing, especially a choice food considered with regard to its rarity, costliness, or the like: Caviar is a great delicacy.

the quality of being easily broken or damaged; fragility.

the quality of requiring or involving great care or tact: negotiations of great delicacy.

extreme sensitivity; precision of action or operation; minute accuracy: the delicacy of a skillful surgeon's touch; a watch mechanism of unusual delicacy.

fineness of perception or feeling; sensitiveness: the delicacy of the pianist's playing.

fineness of feeling with regard to what is fitting, proper, etc.: Delicacy would not permit her to be rude.

sensitivity with regard to the feelings of others: She criticized him with such delicacy that he was not offended.

bodily weakness; liability to sickness; frailty.

Linguistics. (especially in systemic linguistics) the degree of minuteness pursued at a given stage of analysis in specifying distinctions in linguistic description.

Obsolete. sensuous indulgence; luxury.

Origin of delicacy

First recorded in 1325–75, delicacy is from the Middle English word delicasie. See delicate, -cy

SYNONYMS FOR delicacy

5 sensitivity, discrimination; prudence, consideration, circumspection.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR delicacy ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR delicacy

1, 6 coarseness.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR delicacy ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM delicacy

hy·per·del·i·ca·cy, noun

Words nearby delicacy

delian league, deliberate, deliberation, deliberative, delibes, delicacy, delicate, delicatessen, delicia, delicious, delict

Example sentences from the Web for delicacies

La Teresita also has an adjoining cafeteria where you can head for an informal buffet and heaping piles of Cuban delicacies.

Eat Your Way Through Tampa’s Cuban Oasis |Starbucks |July 10, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
And, of course, there are local Andalucian delicacies to be had in and around Setenil de las Bodegas.

The Spanish Fraggle Rock: Setenil de las Bodegas Is an Andalucian Town Built Under a Rock |Nina Strochlic |January 2, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The monastery began crafting its own delicacies, later known as pasteis de belem.

Portugal's Kings of Pastry |Molly Hannon |April 5, 2011 |DAILY BEAST
They are given unlimited access to a host of delicacies—the freshest fruits, the finest juices, the most delectable desserts.

When Bush Caved to Egypt |Matt Latimer |January 30, 2011 |DAILY BEAST

I refer to the delicacies furnished to the officials and inmates.

Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, April 1900 |Various
When these delicacies had lost their relish—και ἑξ ἑρον ἑντο—the time was come for making a distribution of our personal effects.

Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Vol. 66, No 405, July 1849 |Various
Sweetmeats and other delicacies are then offered to the guru, and the disciple makes him a present of one to five rupees.

The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India - Volume IV of IV |R.V. Russell
Certainly Lamb never writes so richly and so delightfully as when he discourses of the dainties and delicacies of the table.

The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 14, No. 85, November, 1864 |Various
It resents rules and refinements, delicacies, differences and organization.

First and Last Things |H. G. Wells

British Dictionary definitions for delicacies

delicacy

/ (ˈdɛlɪkəsɪ) /

noun plural -cies

fine or subtle quality, character, construction, etc delicacy of craftsmanship

fragile, soft, or graceful beauty

something that is considered choice to eat, such as caviar

fragile construction or constitution; frailty

refinement of feeling, manner, or appreciation the delicacy of the orchestra's playing

fussy or squeamish refinement, esp in matters of taste, propriety, etc

need for tactful or sensitive handling

accuracy or sensitivity of response or operation, as of an instrument

(in systemic grammar) the level of detail at which a linguistic description is made; the degree of fine distinction in a linguistic description

obsolete gratification, luxury, or voluptuousness

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

delicacy

noun, plural del·i·ca·cies.

Origin of delicacy

SYNONYMS FOR delicacy

ANTONYMS FOR delicacy

OTHER WORDS FROM delicacy

Words nearby delicacy

Example sentences from the Web for delicacies

British Dictionary definitions for delicacies

noun plural -cies

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

delicacy

noun, plural del·i·ca·cies.

Origin of delicacy

SYNONYMS FOR delicacy

ANTONYMS FOR delicacy

OTHER WORDS FROM delicacy

Words nearby delicacy

Words related to delicacies

Example sentences from the Web for delicacies

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noun plural -cies

British Dictionary definitions for delicacies