subtlety

American  

[suht-l-tee] / ˈsʌt l ti /

noun

plural

subtleties

1. the state or quality of being subtle.

2. delicacy or nicety of character or meaning.

3. acuteness or penetration of mind; delicacy of discrimination.

4. a fine-drawn distinction; refinement of reasoning.

   the subtleties of logic.

5. something subtle.

6. 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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subtlety British  

/ ˈsʌtəltɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being subtle; delicacy

2. a fine distinction or the ability to make such a distinction

3. something subtle

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Other Word Forms

• hypersubtlety noun
• nonsubtlety noun
• oversubtlety noun

Etymology

Origin of subtlety

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English subtelte, sutilte, from Old French sutilte, from Latin subtīlitāt-, stem of subtīlitās “fineness,” equivalent to subtīli(s) “fine, slender” ( subtile ) + -ty ²

Example Sentences

“When we started talking with Oscar, he came in with his Prince stuff. When you look at his performance, you see all those subtleties, the physicality, the swagger.”

From Los Angeles Times

Few 20th-century writers bred as many imitators as Ernest Hemingway, but his followers rarely matched the subtleties of his deceptively simple style.

From The Wall Street Journal

There’s no subtlety, but would you expect that from the director of the “Evil Dead” movies?

From Los Angeles Times

Because his commentary revolved around the subtleties of their texts, the discussion only began to make sense if you had read them with greater attention than seemed necessary in any other course.

From The Wall Street Journal

He didn’t notice—for even the wisest of the old forget, sometimes, the care and subtlety of the young—that Christopher had made no promise.

From Literature

Related Words

• elegance
• intricacy