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.

Words nearby subtlety

subtilisin, subtilize, subtilty, subtitle, 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

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. 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

subtlety

noun, plural sub·tle·ties.

Content related to subtlety

Words related to subtlety

Words nearby subtlety

Origin of subtlety

OTHER WORDS FROM subtlety

Examples from the Web for subtlety

British Dictionary definitions for subtlety

noun plural -ties