English Explanatory Dictionary

subtlety

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The quality of being subtle.
  2. The quality of being scarcely noticeable or difficult to discern. (of things)
  3. The quality of being done in a clever way that is not obvious or not direct; the quality of being carefully thought out. (of things)
  4. The quality of being able to achieve one's aims through clever, delicate or indirect methods. (of people)
  5. The quality of being able to notice or understand things that are not obvious. (of people)
  6. An instance of being subtle, a subtle thing, especially a subtle argument or distinction.
  7. An ornate medieval illusion dish or table decoration, especially when made from one thing but crafted to look like another.
  8. The quality of being clever in surreptitious or deceitful behaviour; an act or argument that shows this quality.
  9. A trick that creates a false appearance.
  10. The property of having a low density or thin consistency.
  11. The property of being able to penetrate materials easily.

Pronunciation

/ˈsʌt(ə)lti/ en-us-subtlety.ogg en-au-subtlety.ogg

Word forms

subtlety subtleties subtilty

Etymology

From Middle English sotilte, from Old French sutilté, inherited from Latin subtīlitās, from subtīlis (“subtle”). Equivalent to subtle + -ty. Doublet of subtility.

Synonyms

refinement discretion finesse savoir-faire acumen perceptiveness perspicacity nicety nuance artifice craftiness cunning deceitfulness slyness trickery deception illusion penetrancy piercingness

Derived words

oversubtlety supersubtlety

Translations

Asturian: sutileza Catalan: subtilesa Chinese Mandarin: 微妙 Czech: jemnost Czech: prchavost Czech: delikátnost Czech: decentnost Finnish: hienovaraisuus French: subtilité Galician: sutileza German: Geschicklichkeit German: Feinheit German: Feinsinn German: Feinsinnigkeit German: Raffinesse German: Raffiniertheit German: Scharfsinn German: Scharfsinnigkeit German: Subtilität German: Zartheit Greek: λεπτότητα Italian: sottigliezza Japanese: 微妙 Latin: argūtiae Latin: subtīlitās Polish: subtelność Polish: delikatność Portuguese: sutileza Portuguese: subtileza Russian: то́нкость Spanish: delicadeza Spanish: sutileza Spanish: sutilidad Swedish: subtilitet Turkish: incelik Turkish: kurnazlık Turkish: zekilik Turkish: ustalık Turkish: anlaşılmazlık
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