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.

---

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

---

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

The pope will arrive by helicopter, a diplomatic subtlety that spares him from landing on French soil without actually visiting France.

From Barron's

Those left in power, he said, are “generally not the sharpest people, they’re not the people who understand the subtleties of diplomacy, of what negotiating with the U.S. is like.”

From Los Angeles Times

Downing was “adept at switching between the material and the spiritual,” a realist willing to wink at disagreements and who favored “subtlety, sophistication and restraint.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Simplicity is elevated, subtlety is trashed, and complexity decried.

From BBC

It was one of the few moments in her otherwise excellent performance when subtlety gives way to silliness.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• elegance
• intricacy