subtle
sub·tle
(sŭt′l)adj. sub·tler, sub·tlest
1.
a. So slight as to be difficult to detect or describe; elusive: a subtle smile.
b. Difficult to understand; abstruse: an argument whose subtle point was lost on her opponent.
2. Able to make fine distinctions: a subtle mind.
3. Operating in a hidden, usually injurious way; insidious: a subtle poison.
4. Archaic
a. Characterized by skill or ingenuity; clever.
b. Crafty or sly; devious.
sub′tle·ness n.
sub′tly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
subtle
(ˈsʌtəl)adj
1. not immediately obvious or comprehensible
2. difficult to detect or analyse, often through being delicate or highly refined: a subtle scent.
3. showing or making or capable of showing or making fine distinctions of meaning
4. marked by or requiring mental acuteness or ingenuity; discriminating
5. delicate or faint: a subtle shade.
6. cunning or wily: a subtle rogue.
7. operating or executed in secret: a subtle intrigue.
[C14: from Old French soutil, from Latin subtīlis finely woven]
ˈsubtleness n
ˈsubtly adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
sub•tle
(ˈsʌt l)adj. -tler, -tlest.
1. thin, tenuous, or rarefied, as a fluid or an odor.
2. fine or delicate in meaning or intent; difficult to perceive or understand: subtle irony.
3. delicate or faint and mysterious: a subtle smile.
4. characterized by or requiring mental acuteness, penetration, or discernment.
5. cunning, wily, or crafty.
6. insidious in operation: a subtle poison.
7. skillful, clever, or ingenious.
[1250–1300; Middle English sotil < Old French < Latin subtīlis subtile]
sub′tle•ness, n.
sub′tly, adv.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
subtle
- subingression - A subtle or unseen entrance.
- ethereal - First meant "resembling the ether or lightest and most subtle of elements," and now means that something is impalpable or unearthly.
- hard sell, soft sell - Hard sell implies an aggressive approach toward a potential buyer; a soft sell is a more subtle, suggestive approach.
- subtle - Its ultimate source is Latin subtilis, "finely woven," a weaving term, from sub tela, "beneath the lengthwise threads of a loom."
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Adj. | 1. | subtle - 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" impalpable - imperceptible to the senses or the mind; "an impalpable cloud"; "impalpable shadows"; "impalpable distinctions"; "as impalpable as a dream" |
| 2. | subtle - able to make fine distinctions; "a subtle mind" perceptive - having the ability to perceive or understand; keen in discernment; "a perceptive eye"; "a perceptive observation" | |
| 3. | subtle - working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way; "glaucoma is an insidious disease"; "a subtle poison" harmful - causing or capable of causing harm; "too much sun is harmful to the skin"; "harmful effects of smoking" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
subtle
adjective
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
subtle
adjective1. So slight as to be difficult to notice or appreciate:
2. Able to make or detect effects of great subtlety or precision:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
دَقِيقدَقيق، خَفيفذَكي، ماهِر
nepatrnýbystrýjemný
subtilsvagudspekuleret
hienovarainen
suptilan
körmönfont
daufur, óljós; hárfínnglöggur
微妙な
미묘한
vos juntamas
grūti nosakāmssmalkstikko jaušamsviltīgs
subtil
ซึ่งบอกเป็นนัยๆ
tinh vi
subtle
[ˈsʌtl] ADJ (subtler (compar) (subtlest (superl)))
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
subtle
[ˈsʌtəl] adj
(= not very noticeable) [difference, distinction, changes] → subtil(e)
(= clever) [person, character, manner, mind, plan] → subtil(e)
(= delicate) [flavour, scent, shade] → subtil(e)
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
subtle
adj
(= quick at seeing fine distinctions) observer, critic → aufmerksam, subtil (geh)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
subtle
[ˈsʌtl] adj (gen) → sottile; (flavour, perfume) → delicato/a
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
subtle
(ˈsatl) adjective1. faint or delicate in quality, and therefore difficult to describe or explain. There is a subtle difference between `unnecessary' and `not necessary'; a subtle flavour.
2. clever or cunning. He has a subtle mind.
subtlety (ˈsatlti) nounˈsubtly adverbKernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
subtle
→ دَقِيق nepatrný subtil fein ανεπαίσθητος sutil hienovarainen subtil suptilan sottile 微妙な 미묘한 subtiel subtil subtelny subtil, sutil едва различимый subtil ซึ่งบอกเป็นนัยๆ belli belirsiz tinh vi 微妙的Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
subtile
, subtle
a. sutil, delicado-a; inadvertido-a, desapercibido-a.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012