gingerly
/'dʤindʤəli/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adverb:
- With great care or caution, especially to avoid causing damage or making noise: Moving or acting in a delicate, cautious, and often slow manner.
- Adjective:
- Characterized by or showing great care or caution: Done with delicate and wary attention.
Usage
- As an Adverb (most common): Describes an action is performed.
- As an Adjective (less common): Describes a noun, indicating the careful nature of an action or manner.
Examples
- Adverb:
- She picked up the fragile, ancient vase gingerly.
- He stepped gingerly over the icy patch on the sidewalk.
- Adjective:
- With a gingerly touch, he examined the wound.
- The diplomat made a gingerly approach to the sensitive topic.
Advanced Usage
- Often used to describe physical movement but can extend to metaphorical handling of sensitive situations.
- The CEO addressed the layoff rumors in a gingerly manner.
- Implies a sense of wariness or fear of negative consequences (e.g., breaking something, causing pain, sparking conflict).
Variants and Related Words
- Gingerliness (noun, rare): The quality of being gingerly.
- The gingerliness of his movements showed his respect for the artifact.
Synonyms
- Adverb: Carefully, cautiously, warily, delicately, circumspectly.
- Adjective: Cautious, careful, delicate, wary.
Antonyms
- Adverb: Carelessly, recklessly, hastily, roughly.
- Adjective: Careless, reckless, rough.
Notes on Meaning
- The core meaning revolves around extreme caution and delicacy. It often conveys a visual image of someone moving slowly and lightly, perhaps on tiptoe.
- While similar to "carefully," specifically suggests caution due to potential fragility, danger, or sensitivity.
Adjective
- 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
- in a gingerly manner
- gingerly I raised the edge of the blanket