Link Centre Dictionary

subtle

UK/ˈsʌtl̩/ US/ˈsʌtəl/ fairly common us

adjective

1.

be difficult to detect or grasp by the mind

  • “his whole attitude had undergone a subtle change”
  • “a subtle difference”
  • “that elusive thing the soul”
Synonyms
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2.

faint and difficult to analyze

  • “subtle aromas”
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3.

able to make fine distinctions

  • “a subtle mind”
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4.

working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way

  • “glaucoma is an insidious disease”
  • “a subtle poison”
Synonyms
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Origin

The adjective is derived from Middle English sotil, soubtil, subtil (“of a person, the mind, etc.: clever, ingenious, penetrating; cunning, sly; insidious; delicate, fine; not dense, light, thin; finely powdered; narrow, slender; etc.”), borrowed from Anglo-Norman sotel, subtil, sutil, Middle French soutil, subtil, sutil, and Old French sotil, soutil, subtil, sutil (“of an object: skilfully designed or made; delicate, fine; slender, thin; of an intangible thing: difficult to understand; of a person: discerning, shrewd; devious, sly; etc.”) (modern French subtil), from Latin subtīlis (“of texture: delicate, fine; slender, thin; accurate, keen; having fine judgment; etc.”), from sub (“below, under”) + tēla (“warp (threads running lengthwise in a loom); web”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tetḱ- (“to create, produce; to cut, hew”), from *teḱ- (“to beget, sire”)). The word displaced Old English smēag (literally “creeping”). The modern and Middle English (and French) spellings with -b- are influenced by Latin subtīlis; the letter was probably never pronounced. The noun is derived from Middle English sotil, soubtil, subtil (“wise person; sophisticated people collectively”), fro...

Phrases

  • subtle body
  • subtle jack

Related words

Word family

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.