subtlety

[ suht-l-tee ]
/ ˈsʌt l ti /
SEE 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.

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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.

Words nearby subtlety

subtilisin, subtilize, subtilty, subtitle, subtle, subtlety, subtonic, subtopia, subtopic, subtorrid, subtotal
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to subtleties

nuance, intricacy, elegance, innuendo, distinction

Example sentences from the Web for subtleties

British Dictionary definitions for subtleties

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