Definition of Subtle

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Subtle

Sly in design; artful; cunning; insinuating; subtile; -- applied to persons; as, a subtle foe.

Cunningly devised; crafty; treacherous; as, a subtle stratagem.

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.

Smooth and deceptive.

Related Definitions:

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Subtle Quotations

God may be subtle, but he isn't plain mean.
Albert Einstein

If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.
Winston Churchill

Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate.
Sun Tzu

The negative is comparable to the composer's score and the print to its performance. Each performance differs in subtle ways.
Ansel Adams

The most loving parents and relatives commit murder with smiles on their faces. They force us to destroy the person we really are: a subtle kind of murder.
Jim Morrison

Justice and truth are too such subtle points that our tools are too blunt to touch them accurately.
Blaise Pascal

The method of political science is the interpretation of life; its instrument is insight, a nice understanding of subtle, unformulated conditions.
Woodrow Wilson

A very subtle difference can make the picture or not.
Annie Leibovitz

I sometimes got distracted easily and allowed my mind to wander when I needed to be focused. It's quite subtle, really, and just being aware of it helps.
Payne Stewart

A subtle thought that is in error may yet give rise to fruitful inquiry that can establish truths of great value.
Isaac Asimov

Subtle Translations

subtle in Dutch is spitsvondig, subtiel, fijn
subtle in Finnish is hienon hieno
subtle in French is perspicace, subtil
subtle in German is fein, feinsinnig
subtle in Italian is astuto, perspicace
subtle in Spanish is perspicaz, sutil, ma ero

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