subtle
- thin, tenuous, or rarefied, as a fluid or an odor.
- fine or delicate in meaning or intent; difficult to perceive or understand: subtle irony.
- delicate or faint and mysterious: a subtle smile.
- requiring mental acuteness, penetration, or discernment: a subtle philosophy.
- characterized by mental acuteness or penetration: a subtle understanding.
- cunning, wily, or crafty: a subtle liar.
- insidious in operation: subtle poison.
- skillful, clever, or ingenious: a subtle painter.
Origin of subtle
Synonyms for subtle
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comRelated Words for subtle
ingenious, faint, slight, profound, sophisticated, indirect, exquisite, understated, precise, detailed, intriguing, sly, skillful, shrewd, insidious, complex, attenuate, deep, discriminating, etherealExamples from the Web for subtle
Contemporary Examples of subtle
Hammerstein continued his subtle quest for racial equanimity in Oklahoma!
In recent days, there has been a subtle feeling of defeat permeating through the camp.
Vreeland believes that in the end, his grandmother put her subtle seal of approval on his lifestyle.
Light amber in color with a subtle sour finish, Fula is one of Casa Bruja's best sellers.
For those who have a problem with that, she offered a charming, subtle middle finger.
Historical Examples of subtle
He had breathed into the atmosphere a subtle malaria, and George had caught the disease.
Life in LondonEdwin Hodder
Then, he bethought himself of a subtle form of rebuke by emphasizing his generosity.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
The words were uttered with a subtle renunciation that was this man's religion.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
Joe was not subtle, not even clever; but he was a lover, and he knew the ways of love.
KMary Roberts Rinehart
Though I felt a subtle and wondrous change, I could not trace or track the miracle.
The Bacillus of BeautyHarriet Stark
subtle
- not immediately obvious or comprehensible
- difficult to detect or analyse, often through being delicate or highly refineda subtle scent
- showing or making or capable of showing or making fine distinctions of meaning
- marked by or requiring mental acuteness or ingenuity; discriminating
- delicate or fainta subtle shade
- cunning or wilya subtle rogue
- operating or executed in secreta subtle intrigue
Word Origin for subtle
Word Origin and History for subtle
c.1300, sutel, soutil, in reference to things, "of thin consistency;" in reference to craftsmen, "skilled, clever," from Old French soutil, from Latin subtilis "fine, thin, delicate, finely woven," from sub "under" (see sub-) + -tilis, from tela "web" and texere "to weave" (see texture). The spelling with -b- reflects confusion with subtile. Most non-material senses were present by late 14c.