subtlety

[ suht-l-tee ]

/ ˈsʌt l ti /

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.

Nearby words

subtilize, subtilty, subtitle, subtitled, subtle, subtlety, subtonic, subtopia, subtopic, subtorrid, subtotal

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

Examples from the Web for subtlety

Political or not, shown in New York or Budapest, it is a worthy achievement composed with taste and subtlety.
In Hands of Hungarian Artist, Jewish Home Movies of the ’30s a Warning of Coming Holocaust|Daniel Genis|October 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But Nicki doesn't just tell us she has a big, fat, ass—that would lack craft and subtlety.
Nicki Minaj’s ‘Anaconda’ Is Too Much Booty for One Man to Handle|Amy Zimmerman|August 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Without context, subtlety, and commentary, a parody begins to look eerily like the scenario it is attempting to skewer.
Juvenile Misogynist Seth MacFarlane Is Not Funny|Amy Zimmerman|June 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is all done with the subtlety of someone wielding a jackhammer.
Rage Against the Machine Dinosaur: What’s a Transformer Dinobot?|Marina Watts|March 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Reinhardt's subtlety makes us look until we can't look any more.
Ad Reinhardt's Painful Dazzle|Blake Gopnik|December 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They know of no malice in paradise, no cunning, no subtlety, and no sly deceit.
Bunyan Characters - Third Series|Alexander Whyte
This is a subtlety which the provinces cannot understand, and it is natural enough that they are unable to do so.
Far Off Things|Arthur Machen
His features had the mobility of Southerners, strangely blending power and subtlety.
The Mesmerist's Victim|Alexandre Dumas
The trick about the eyes is the weak and common portion of an otherwise matchless work of subtlety.
Where Art Begins|Hume Nisbet
I am myself a student of German learning, and quite aware of the enormous industry, subtlety, and ingenuity of German scholarship.
New York Times, Current History, Vol 1, Issue 1|Various

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

Word Origin and History for subtlety

subtlety

mid-14c., from Old French soutilte, from Latin subtilitatem (nominative subtilitas), noun of quality from subtilis (see subtle).

subtlety

noun, plural sub·tle·ties.

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Origin of subtlety

Examples from the Web for subtlety

British Dictionary definitions for subtlety

subtlety

noun plural -ties

Word Origin and History for subtlety

subtlety