thin, tenuous, or rarefied, as a fluid or an odor.
fine or delicate in meaning or intent; difficult to perceive or understand: subtle irony.
delicate or faint and mysterious: a subtle smile.
requiring mental acuteness, penetration, or discernment: a subtle philosophy.
characterized by mental acuteness or penetration: a subtle understanding.
cunning, wily, or crafty: a subtle liar.
insidious in operation: subtle poison.
skillful, clever, or ingenious: a subtle painter.
Origin of subtle
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English sotil, from Old French, from Latin subtīlis “subtile” (the b of modern spelling is from Latin ); see subtile
On a per-million basis, the United States’ position in 11th place goes to 15th — a slight but subtle improvement.
An only-red-states America probably isn’t one Trump would actually like|Philip Bump|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
That led Connecticut’s governor to make a subtle, but crucial, change to the state’s election rules on the day before the election.
Facebook’s Political Ad Ban Also Threatens Ability to Spread Accurate Information on How to Vote|by Jeremy B. Merrill for ProPublica|September 4, 2020|ProPublica
The answer is almost certainly yes, given another subtle change the company made in its amended filing today.
In amended filing, Palantir admits it won’t have independent board governance for up to a year|Danny Crichton|September 3, 2020|TechCrunch
What’s subtle is that an equivalence between two objects should be recorded as additional data.
Conducting the Mathematical Orchestra From the Middle|Rachel Crowell|September 2, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Insider threats, where a company’s own employee carries out a cyberattack against it, are an especially pernicious and subtle form of hacking.
How a $1 million plot to hack Tesla failed|Patrick O'Neill|August 28, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Hammerstein continued his subtle quest for racial equanimity in Oklahoma!
When Broadway Musicals Were Dark And Subversive|Laurence Maslon|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In recent days, there has been a subtle feeling of defeat permeating through the camp.
The Monuments Men of Occupy Hong Kong|Brendon Hong|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Vreeland believes that in the end, his grandmother put her subtle seal of approval on his lifestyle.
From Fashion Player to Photographer Monk|Nina Strochlic|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Light amber in color with a subtle sour finish, Fula is one of Casa Bruja's best sellers.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama|Jeff Campagna|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For those who have a problem with that, she offered a charming, subtle middle finger.
Jeopardy! Champion Julia Collins’s Brain Feels Like Mush|Sujay Kumar|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He thought her very lovely, and there was a subtle suggestion of something besides loveliness.
The Butterfly House|Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
The arm of the Inquisition was long, its watch was vigilant, and its weapons were subtle.
Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam|Ephraim Emerton
Instead of a sensible and wary man, we call him a disguised and subtle fellow.
The Works of Horace|Horace
And then the continual effort to degrade the Mass, to rob it of its mystery and holy character—it's clever, it's subtle.
A Lost Cause|Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull
"Under the Cedars" was fresh and bright, full of imagination and that subtle power which touches the commonplace with interest.
Salome|Emma Marshall
British Dictionary definitions for subtle
subtle
/ (ˈsʌtəl) /
adjective
not immediately obvious or comprehensible
difficult to detect or analyse, often through being delicate or highly refineda subtle scent
showing or making or capable of showing or making fine distinctions of meaning
marked by or requiring mental acuteness or ingenuity; discriminating
delicate or fainta subtle shade
cunning or wilya subtle rogue
operating or executed in secreta subtle intrigue
Derived forms of subtle
subtleness, nounsubtly, adverb
Word Origin for subtle
C14: from Old French soutil, from Latin subtīlis finely woven