subtlety

[suht-l-tee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR subtlety 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.

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

Related formshy·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. 2019

Related Words for subtleties

nuance, intricacy, elegance, innuendo, distinction

Examples from the Web for subtleties

Contemporary Examples of subtleties

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
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
The apps, which Badasyan decries, have their own subtleties.
Sex-Crazed Narcissist Pretends He's an Artist
Justin Jones
August 20, 2014
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
Subtleties of study design and interpretation are pulverized in the name of the sound bite of course, but this is old news.
Could Tylenol Cause ADHD?
Kent Sepkowitz
February 25, 2014

Historical Examples of subtleties

When she wasn't there I tried to reason myself out of these subtleties.
The Greater Inclination
Edith Wharton
The staff-captain did not understand these subtleties, shook his head, and smiled slyly.
A Hero of Our Time
M. Y. Lermontov
But these and other subtleties of language escaped the observation of Plato.
Cratylus
Plato
What but subtleties of the Scotists: quiddities, formalities, etc.!
Erasmus and the Age of Reformation
Johan Huizinga
The subtleties of passion are now realised for the first time.
John Lyly
John Dover Wilson

British Dictionary definitions for subtleties

subtlety

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

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).