delicate

Adjective

• of an instrument or device; capable of registering minute differences or changes precisely
  • almost undetectable with even the most delicate instruments
    

• difficult to handle; requiring great tact
  • delicate negotiations with the big powers
    
  • hesitates to be explicit on so ticklish a matter
    
  • a touchy subject
    

• developed with extreme delicacy and subtlety
  • the satire touches with finespun ridicule every kind of human pretense
    

• easily hurt
  • soft hands
    
  • a baby's delicate skin
    

• easily broken or damaged or destroyed
  • a kite too delicate to fly safely
    
  • fragile porcelain plates
    
  • fragile old bones
    
  • a frail craft
    

• marked by great skill especially in meticulous technique
  • a surgeon's delicate touch
    

• exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury
  • a delicate violin passage
    
  • delicate china
    
  • a delicate flavor
    
  • the delicate wing of a butterfly
    

Related words

• Synonyms: 
  ticklish , touchy , finespun , soft , fragile , frail