Definition
Meaning of 'subtle'
Meaning of 'subtle' (Webster Dictionary)
1. Subtle 
[ superl.]
- Sly in design; artful; cunning; insinuating; subtile;
-- applied to persons; as, a subtle foe. [ superl.]- 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.
Meaning of 'subtle' (Princeton's WordNet)
1. subtle [ s]
[ s]Meaning (1):
- able to make fine distinctions
- able to make fine distinctions
Example in sentence:
- a subtle mind
Meaning (2):
- working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way
- working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way
Example in sentence:
- a subtle poison;
- glaucoma is an insidious disease
Meaning (3):
- difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
- difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
Example in sentence:
- a subtle difference;
- his whole attitude had undergone a subtle change;
- that elusive thing the soul
Nearby Topics:
See 'subtle' also in:
Recent Article
Categories
- Business Studies
- Banking & Finance
- Management & Organization Studies
- HRM & Labor Studies
- Management Information System
- Accounting & Auditing
- Marketing & Public Relations
- Entrepreneurship & Small Business
- Psychology & Behavioral Science
- Computer Programming
- Automotive Engineering
- Computer Networking
- Medical & Health Science
- Microbiology