gingerly

/'dʤindʤəli/

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Word: Gingerly

Part of Speech: Adjective / Adverb

Definition: The word "gingerly" means to do something with great care or caution. When you do something gingerly, you are being very careful because you want to avoid getting hurt or causing damage.

Usage Instructions:

• As an adjective: It describes a noun (like "footsteps" or "touch").
• As an adverb: It describes how an action is done (like "to walk" or "to raise").

Examples:

1. Adjective: "They moved with gingerly steps over the jagged stones." (This means they walked very carefully to avoid hurting themselves on the sharp stones.)
2. Adverb: "I gingerly lifted the fragile vase from the table." (This means I lifted the vase very carefully to avoid breaking it.)

Advanced Usage:

In more complex sentences, "gingerly" can emphasize the level of caution in various situations, such as: - "After the accident, he gingerly approached the car to check for damages." - "The teacher gingerly handled the sensitive topic during the discussion."

Word Variants:

• Gingerliness (noun): The quality of being careful and cautious. Example: "There was a certain gingerliness in her approach to the task."

Different Meanings:

While "gingerly" primarily conveys caution, it can also imply a sense of delicacy or sensitivity in handling situations or emotions.

Synonyms:

• Cautiously
• Carefully
• Delicately
• Tentatively

Idioms:

There are no specific idioms that directly include "gingerly," but you may hear phrases like "tread lightly," which conveys a similar meaning of being careful in a situation.

Phrasal Verbs:

There are no direct phrasal verbs that use "gingerly," but you might use "handle with care" as a similar expression when talking about something that needs to be treated gingerly.

Academic

Adjective

1. with extreme care or delicacy
   • they proceeded with gingerly footwork over the jagged stones
   • the issue was handled only in a gingerly way- W.S.White

Adverb

1. in a gingerly manner
   • gingerly I raised the edge of the blanket