What does subtle mean?

Definitions for subtle
ˈsʌt lsub·tle

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word subtle.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. elusive, subtleadjective

    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze

    "his whole attitude had undergone a subtle change"; "a subtle difference"; "that elusive thing the soul"

  2. subtleadjective

    able to make fine distinctions

    "a subtle mind"

  3. insidious, pernicious, subtleadjective

    working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way

    "glaucoma is an insidious disease"; "a subtle poison"

Wiktionary

  1. subtleadjective

    Hard to grasp; not obvious or easily understood; barely noticeable.

    The difference is subtle, but you can hear it if you listen carefully.

  2. subtleadjective

    Cleverly contrived.

  3. subtleadjective

    Cunning, skillful.

  4. subtleadjective

    insidious

  5. subtleadjective

    Tenuous; rarefied; of low density or thin consistency.

  6. Etymology: From sotil, subtil, from soutil, later subtil, subtil, from subtilis; probably, originally, “woven fine”, and from sub + tela, from texere.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Subtleadjective

    Sly; artful; cunning.

    Some subtle headed fellow will put some quirk, or devise some evasion, whereof the rest will take hold. Edmund Spenser.

    Shall we think the subtle witted French
    Conj’rers and sorc’rers, that, afraid of him,
    By magick verse have thus contriv’d his end? William Shakespeare, H. VI.

    The serpent, subtlest beast of all the field. John Milton.

    The Arabians were men of a deep and subtle wit. Thomas Sprat.

ChatGPT

  1. subtle

    Subtle can be described as something that is delicate, understated, or not easily noticeable. It often refers to a quality or characteristic that is not obvious or blatant, requiring careful observation or analysis to be fully understood or appreciated. Subtle can also refer to a clever or nuanced approach, strategy, or communication style that effectively conveys a message or intention without being overly direct or explicit.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Subtle

    sly in design; artful; cunning; insinuating; subtile; -- applied to persons; as, a subtle foe

  2. Subtle

    cunningly devised; crafty; treacherous; as, a subtle stratagem

  3. Subtle

    characterized by refinement and niceness in drawing distinctions; nicely discriminating; -- said of persons; as, a subtle logician; refined; tenuous; sinuous; insinuating; hence, penetrative or pervasive; -- said of the mind; its faculties, or its operations; as, a subtle intellect; a subtle imagination; a subtle process of thought; also, difficult of apprehension; elusive

  4. Subtle

    smooth and deceptive

Wikidata

  1. Subtle

    Subtle was an alternative hip hop sextet from Oakland, California. It consisted of Adam Drucker, Jeffrey Logan, Dax Pierson, Jordan Dalrymple, Alexander Kort, and Marty Dowers. The band was formed in 2001. While considered by the artists to be "genreless", Subtle had close ties to the hip hop and indie music scene. Although both Doseone and Jel have strong ties to the Anticon collective, Subtle was not on the Anticon label roster. Subtle was signed to Lex Records.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Subtle

    sut′l (B. Sub′til), adj. subtile in a figurative sense: acute, quick to discern or discriminate: insinuating, sly, artful: cunningly devised, ingenious.—ns. Subt′leness, Subt′lety, quality of being subtle: artfulness: shrewdness: extreme acuteness.—adj. Subt′le-wit′ted, sharp-witted.—adv. Subt′ly (B. Sub′tilly), ingeniously, cleverly: artfully, deceitfully. [Contr. of subtile.]

Suggested Resources

  1. subtle

    Song lyrics by subtle -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by subtle on the Lyrics.com website.

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'subtle' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #4833

  2. Adjectives Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'subtle' in Adjectives Frequency: #659

Anagrams for subtle »

  1. bluest

  2. bluets

  3. bustle

  4. sublet

How to pronounce subtle?

How to say subtle in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of subtle in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of subtle in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of subtle in a Sentence

  1. Judge Edward Pardo:

    To be sure, we are unable to divine the Founders' specific views on whether 18-to-20-year-olds had a stronger claim than 17-year-olds to the Second Amendment guarantee. The Founders may not even have shared a collective view on such a subtle and fine-grained distinction.

  2. Hassan Rouhani:

    The budget is drafted with a cautious eye to the oil prices, the current situation demands a more subtle and realistic approach to (the) budget draft.

  3. J. R. R. Tolkien:

    Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger.

  4. Oscar Auliq-Ice:

    A subtle but effective way of encouraging an irregular voter is by slightly altering your vocabulary when you ask questions. For reasons that are unclear, people’s internal identity is only loosely connected to their actions—until they’re reminded of the discrepancy between the two. Use that to your advantage by emphasizing the identity of being a voter rather than the act of voting.

  5. James Gorman:

    It is there in subtle ways and probably in unsubtle ways, for example, on trading floors I’m sure.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

subtle#1#9840#10000

Translations for subtle

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"subtle." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/subtle>.

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