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I'm looking for a word to use in a self-deprecating context meaning 'overly sensitive or precious'.

I ordinarily might say:

I'm going to sound like a princess here

or

I'm going to be a snowflake here

But both of these terms are politically problematic - princess because it's gendered and sounds demeaning to women, and snowflake because it's a common alt-right insult.

Is there an alternative word I can use that isn't so problematic?

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    "I'm sorry to be awkward" is something I've heard quite often, when people are making a very specific request or demanding something beyond the norm. Similarly "I'm sorry to be a nuisance/pest".
    – Stuart F
    Commented Jun 25, 2021 at 9:33
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    Why look for another noun if you've rejected the two front-runners? You could just use your own adjectival phrasings: I don't want to sound precious, but... - or if you actually expect to be labelled as such, I might sound overly sensitive, but...
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Jun 25, 2021 at 12:28
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    You could always choose not to label yourself, and instead describe the content “This is going to sound a bit precious, but…”
    – ColleenV
    Commented Jun 25, 2021 at 16:31
  • I suspect whatever synonym you choose might easily become a victim of the euphemism treadmill. It’s not so much the words, but the concept of being overly sensitive in the first place that’s so politically incorrect.
    – user3840170
    Commented Aug 28, 2021 at 7:54

3 Answers 3

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How about prima donna?

If you describe someone as a prima donna, you disapprove of them because they think they can behave badly or get what they want because they have a particular talent. [disapproval]

Nobody who comes to this club is allowed to behave like a prima donna.

...prima donna behaviour

[Collins]

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If you’re looking for a phrase to prepare your listeners, there are plenty of good suggestions from the commenters.

However, if your goal is to convince, why not start with “we” rather than “I” ?

For example, “Before we decide on this, let’s look at how people might feel. Take the psychological perspective, so to speak…”

With this approach, you unify yourself with your listeners, and you introduce the idea that the decision can be based on objective factors, i.e. it can be deduced from shared premises as opposed to being a test of individual wills.

This is a concept drawn from Getting to Yes, by Fisher, Ury and Patton. The book has been in print for forty years, and is still a bestseller.

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How about delicate flower. That might convey the idea you want.

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