subtlety

[ suht-l-tee ]

/ ˈsʌt l ti /

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See synonyms for: subtlety / subtleties on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural sub·tle·ties.

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.

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Origin of subtlety

1300–50; Middle English subtelte, sutilte<Old French sutilte<Latin subtīlitāt- (stem of subtīlitās) fineness, equivalent to subtīli(s) subtile + -tāt--ty²

OTHER WORDS FROM subtlety

hy·per·sub·tle·ty, nounnon·sub·tle·ty, noun, plural non·sub·tle·ties.o·ver·sub·tle·ty, noun, plural o·ver·sub·tle·ties.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use subtlety in a sentence

An overwhelming amount of subtleties and implications were going over my head.
What Should I Call the Man I Love?|Dushka Zapata|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It also seemed that Biden had a good grasp of the subtleties of Iraqi politics.
Exposed: The White House’s Professor-in-Chief|Jonathan Alter|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The apps, which Badasyan decries, have their own subtleties.
Sex-Crazed Narcissist Pretends He's an Artist|Justin Jones|August 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This style of woodfire cooking is prone to sudden fluctuations in temperature due to the subtleties and different sizes of wood.
Brooklyn’s Booming Firewood Industry|Dale Eisinger|July 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Such subtleties are lost, of course, on university administrations largely appointed by the government in the Mubarak era.
Egypt: The Revolution’s Last Stand|Jesse Rosenfeld|March 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was right that Liosha should be made aware of the emotional subtleties that underlay the bare facts.
Jaffery|William J. Locke
It is not possible to trace it out in the subtleties with which theologians have surrounded it as a dogma.
The Myths of the New World|Daniel G. Brinton
The subtleties of the trail sharpen both physical and mental sensibility.
Average Jones|Samuel Hopkins Adams
Now laying aside conjecture and the subtleties of language, suppose we consult plain matter of fact?
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction, Vol. 13, Issue 372, Saturday, May 30, 1829|Various
Others may deem the knotted subtleties of black-letter a sorry recompense for the "wild crash and tumult of the fray."
The Knight Of Gwynne, Vol. II (of II)|Charles James Lever

British Dictionary definitions for subtlety

subtlety

/ (ˈsʌtəltɪ) /

noun plural -ties

the state or quality of being subtle; delicacy

a fine distinction or the ability to make such a distinction

something subtle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

subtlety

Origin of subtlety

OTHER WORDS FROM subtlety

Words related to subtlety

How to use subtlety in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for subtlety