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. Aline Brosh McKenna:

    I just think a lot of the ways things are run are just terribly anti-family, it's one of those subtle things that just selects out women. If we want to include women and their voices and the only way to work on these shows is to prove you're a machismo guy, staying until midnight every night, women are going to opt out of that. Parents are going to opt out of that.

  2. Chris Bailey:

    There is no doubt that the optics around the trade/diplomacy backdrop have worsened in the last week and this has had a negative influence, there has also been a subtle change in the perceptions of market participants, for example the negative interest rate debate getting a very good airing in the United States.

  3. Margaret Johnson:

    SB 25 is a not-so-subtle way of giving medical personnel the opportunity to impose the religious beliefs on pregnant women by withholding information about the condition of their fetus and depriving them of making an informed decision about continuing with their pregnancy.

  4. Epic Games:

    Recent events are a heavy reminder of ongoing injustices in society, from the denial of basic human rights to the impact of racism both overt and subtle against people of color, the team is eager to move Fortnite forward, but we need to balance the Season 3 launch with time for the team to focus on themselves, their families, and their communities.

  5. 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.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

Subtle#1#9840#10000

Translations for Subtle

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

Get even more translations for Subtle »

Translation

Find a translation for the Subtle definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"Subtle." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/Subtle>.

Discuss these Subtle definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for Subtle? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Browse Definitions.net

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    express strong disapproval of
    A interrogate
    B condemn
    C conform
    D refine

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for Subtle: