subtlety
Americannoun
plural
subtleties-
the state or quality of being subtle.
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delicacy or nicety of character or meaning.
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acuteness or penetration of mind; delicacy of discrimination.
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a fine-drawn distinction; refinement of reasoning.
the subtleties of logic.
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something subtle.
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History/Historical. an elaborate confection, ornate in construction and ornamentation, sometimes edible but more often made and used as a decoration for a table or buffet.
noun
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the state or quality of being subtle; delicacy
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a fine distinction or the ability to make such a distinction
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something subtle
Other Word Forms
- hypersubtlety noun
- nonsubtlety noun
- oversubtlety noun
Etymology
Origin of subtlety
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English subtelte, sutilte, from Old French sutilte, from Latin subtīlitāt-, stem of subtīlitās “fineness,” equivalent to subtīli(s) “fine, slender” ( subtile ) + -ty 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was one of the few moments in her otherwise excellent performance when subtlety gives way to silliness.
From Los Angeles Times
It is also true that there is a subtlety to these conventions.
From BBC
“When we started talking with Oscar, he came in with his Prince stuff. When you look at his performance, you see all those subtleties, the physicality, the swagger.”
From Los Angeles Times
Few 20th-century writers bred as many imitators as Ernest Hemingway, but his followers rarely matched the subtleties of his deceptively simple style.
There’s no subtlety, but would you expect that from the director of the “Evil Dead” movies?
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
