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Glite Dictionary
kid-glove

kid-glove

2 7.9
Treating people or situations very carefully and gently
  • adjective
translation icon : delicado
  • In negotiations, you must engage your clients with kid gloves to ensure their comfort.
  • handled with kid-gloves
  • treated with kid-gloves
  • kid-glove treatment

Examples

  • When discussing sensitive topics, it's important to approach them with kid gloves.

  • My father always said we had to "treat her with kid gloves."

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Mark my words, the coroner will handle them with kid gloves.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • They don't want to be treated with kid gloves.

    Giantess Battle Attack! (2022)

  • She handled the delicate situation with kid gloves, ensuring everyone felt respected.

Synonyms

tactful
vskid-glove
11 4.0

Being careful and polite when speaking to avoid hurting people

is more about careful, gentle handling of delicate matters

Antonyms

brutality
  • Offensive
187 5.6

Very cruel and violent actions that hurt people

rudeness
27 1.8

Lack of politeness or respect for other people

insensitivity
16 5.5

A lack of care for other people's feelings or needs

How Tactful

tactful
11 4.0
kid-glove
2 7.9
careful
∞ 1.0
direct
302 3.5
blunt
100 3.8

Surface Forms

kid-glove positive

Morphology

kid-glove = kid + glove (semi-transparent) = kid + glove

The components 'kid' and 'glove' are literal and clear, but the idiomatic meaning 'treat gently or tactfully' is metaphorical and may not be deduced by all learners.

Etymology

Kid-glove comes from real gloves made of kid ('young goat') leather that are very soft and used to handle delicate things, so imagine wearing soft gloves when you must be gentle. That's why to treat someone with kid-glove care means to be very careful and gentle.