meaning of subtle
1. Sly in design; artful; cunning; insinuating; subtile; -- applied to persons; as, a subtle foe.
2. Cunningly devised; crafty; treacherous; as, a subtle stratagem.
3. 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. Smooth and deceptive.
5. faint and difficult to analyze; "subtle
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Related Words
subtle | subtleness | subtleties | subtlety |
