subtlety
- the state or quality of being subtle.
- delicacy or nicety of character or meaning.
- acuteness or penetration of mind; delicacy of discrimination.
- a fine-drawn distinction; refinement of reasoning: the subtleties of logic.
- something subtle.
- History/Historical. an elaborate confection, ornate in construction and ornamentation, sometimes edible but more often made and used as a decoration for a table or buffet.
Origin of subtlety
Examples from the Web for subtleties
Contemporary Examples of subtleties
An overwhelming amount of subtleties and implications were going over my head.
It also seemed that Biden had a good grasp of the subtleties of Iraqi politics.
The apps, which Badasyan decries, have their own subtleties.
This style of woodfire cooking is prone to sudden fluctuations in temperature due to the subtleties and different sizes of wood.
Subtleties of study design and interpretation are pulverized in the name of the sound bite of course, but this is old news.
Historical Examples of subtleties
When she wasn't there I tried to reason myself out of these subtleties.
The Greater InclinationEdith Wharton
The staff-captain did not understand these subtleties, shook his head, and smiled slyly.
A Hero of Our TimeM. Y. Lermontov
But these and other subtleties of language escaped the observation of Plato.
CratylusPlato
What but subtleties of the Scotists: quiddities, formalities, etc.!
Erasmus and the Age of ReformationJohan Huizinga
The subtleties of passion are now realised for the first time.
John LylyJohn Dover Wilson
subtlety
- the state or quality of being subtle; delicacy
- a fine distinction or the ability to make such a distinction
- something subtle
Word Origin and History for subtleties
subtlety
mid-14c., from Old French soutilte, from Latin subtilitatem (nominative subtilitas), noun of quality from subtilis (see subtle).