ˈsəd. ə l, ˈsət ə l adjective
( subtler -d. ə lə(r), -t( ə )lə- ; subtlest -d. ə lə̇st, -t( ə )lə̇-)
Etymology: Middle English sutil, sotil, from Old French soutil, sotil, from Latin subtilis finely woven, fine, thin, refined, keen, subtle, from sub- + -tilis (from tela web); akin to Latin texere to weave — more at technical
1.
a. : delicate , elusive
subtle aroma of sandalwood
subtle lights and shadows
fawn fled with shy and subtle steps — Elinor Wylie
b. : difficult to understand : obscure
found the … situation subtle , not to say opaque — Ruth McKenney
c. : hard to distinguish or describe : imperceptible , intangible
subtle distinctions among consonants
intuitions … too subtle to be formulated — B.N.Cardozo
subtle hints of impending disaster — Leland Miles
2.
a. : perceptive , refined
a great artist's subtle vision — Herbert Read
China's complex and subtle language — Time
b. : marked by insight or sensitivity
subtle music
a subtle characterization
subtle proportions of the Parthenon
3.
a.
(1) : skillful , ingenious
a clever and subtle diplomat — Charlton Laird
(2) : demanding skill or ingenuity
as subtle as the delicate incision of a great surgeon — Ezra Pound
b. : characterized by craft or indirection : devious , wily
a subtle scheme
subtle diplomacy and wary tactics — Arnold Bennett
c. : having a covert and usually injurious effect : insidious
a subtle insinuation
a subtle technique of infiltration — C.E.Black & E.C.Helmreich
• subtleness -d. ə lnə̇s, -t ə l- noun -es