delicate vs slight

delicate

adj
  • Refined; gentle; scrupulous not to trespass or offend; considerate; said of manners, conduct, or feelings. 

  • Unwell, especially because of having drunk too much alcohol. 

  • Pleasing to the senses; refined; adapted to please an elegant or cultivated taste. 

  • Easily damaged or requiring careful handling. 

  • circa 1660, John Evelyn (author), William Bray (editor), The Diary of John Evelyn, volume I of II (1901), entry for the 19th of August in 1641, page 29 

  • Light, or softly tinted; said of a colour. 

  • Of exacting tastes and habits; dainty; fastidious. 

  • Affected by slight causes; showing slight changes. 

  • Of weak health; easily sick; unable to endure hardship. 

  • Characterized by a fine structure or thin lines. 

  • Highly discriminating or perceptive; refinedly critical; sensitive; exquisite. 

  • Intended for use with fragile items. 

  • Slight and shapely; lovely; graceful. 

noun
  • A delicate item of clothing, especially underwear or lingerie. 

  • A moth, Mythimna vitellina 

slight

adj
  • gentle or weak, not aggressive or powerful 

  • still; with little or no movement on the surface 

  • Even, smooth or level 

  • not far away in space or time 

  • of slender build 

  • not thorough; superficial 

  • trifling; unimportant; insignificant 

noun
  • The act of ignoring or snubbing; a deliberate act of neglect or discourtesy. 

verb
  • To act negligently or carelessly. 

  • To treat with disdain or neglect, usually out of prejudice, hatred, or jealousy; to ignore disrespectfully. 

  • To treat as unimportant or not worthy of attention; to make light of. 

  • To render no longer defensible by full or partial demolition. 

  • To give lesser weight or importance to. 

  • To throw heedlessly. 

How often have the words delicate and slight occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )