Definitions: (1) cultured and refined in taste; particular; fastidious; (2) delicately lovely or pretty; elegant; tender
Synonyms: choice, exquisite, fine, neat, nice, rare
Poetry:
Yellow, mellow, ripened days,
Sheltered in a golden coating;
O’er the dreamy, listless haze,
White and dainty cloudlets floating;
Winking at the blushing trees,
And the somber, furrowed fallow;
Smiling at the airy ease,
Of the southward flying swallow
Sweet and smiling are thy ways,
Beauteous, golden Autumn days
— William McKendree Carleton (1845–1912) American poet
Comment: There is room in everyone for every quality. No matter how macho you are, there is a time and place to even be dainty.
Experience: I was camping in the high Rocky Mountains when I first was picking qualities to emulate. The random choice of dainty was not exactly what I was looking for, but I took it in stride. As I was hiking, I was pleasantly surprised with the variety of dainty flowers, grasses, and soft colors. It was one of those clear, Colorado, blue-sky days when even the air was dainty. I was up on a ridge at about thirteen thousand feet when I stopped to catch my breath in the thin atmosphere. Just above and behind me, a hummingbird flew over the ridge and came right for me, hesitated, and landed on my right shoulder. He must have needed a breather too. I said hello to him, and he flew back a few feet, took a good look at me, and then landed again. Well, for a hummingbird a few seconds is a long time, so he was soon rested. He then took off and was out of sight in no time.
This incident taught me that odd combinations of qualities happen all the time. I knew hummers are extremely aggressive and territorial, after all, they are the living descendants of dinosaurs. Even though we ascribe qualities like dainty to them, they may not think so of themselves. After this I began choosing two qualities to see how they live together.