Definitions for subtle
ˈsʌt lsub·tle

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.3 / 3 votes

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"

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.7 / 3 votes

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 DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

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.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

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 DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

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

FreebaseRate this definition:2.0 / 2 votes

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 DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

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 ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

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?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

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. Francis Bacon:

   Histories make men wise poets, witty the mathematics, subtle natural philosophy, deep moral, grave logic and rhetoric, able to contend.

2. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva:

   Colorblind racism is the new racial music most people dance to, the 'new racism' is subtle, institutionalized and seemingly nonracial.

3. Isaac Asimov:

   A subtle thought that is in error may yet give rise to fruitful inquiry that can establish truths of great value.

4. Glen Coppersmith:

   Some of these differences are obvious and make immediate sense, like depressed people talk about negative emotions more, some differences are more subtle, like depressed people use ‘I’ more than their community control counterparts.

5. Louis Pasteur:

   Science advances through tentative answers to a series of more and more subtle questions which reach deeper and deeper into the essence of natural phenomena.

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