kid gloves

NOUN

tact and gentleness

Synonyms

WEAK

delicacy fastidiousness gentle handling gentleness good taste kid-glove treatment leniency light hand light rein refinement tact tolerance velvet glove

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He appeared to treat Romero with kid gloves when a heavier punishment could easily have been in order, only increasing the impression, publicly at least, that Frank struggles to impose himself on his players.

From BBC • Jan. 9, 2026

Given that Mr. Carlson’s journey into a vile and very weird world has been well documented, it’s no surprise he’d treat Mr. Fuentes with kid gloves.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025

But the idea of handling such a gleeful provocateur with kid gloves seems to somehow miss the point of De Palma’s work.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 3, 2024

Pittsburgh has used kid gloves with Jones at times, though he also threw a career-high 96 pitches over seven brilliant innings against Colorado last weekend.

From Seattle Times • May 10, 2024

But he was high-strung, nervous, someone you often had to treat with kid gloves to settle him down, like a racehorse.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown