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What is "subtle"

Crossword clues for subtle

subtle
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
subtle
adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a fine/subtle distinction (=small)
▪ Language enables us to make fine distinctions between similar ideas.
a subtle colour (=pleasant, not strong, and a little unusual)
▪ Italian sweaters come in lovely subtle colours.
a subtle difference (=not obvious)
▪ There’s a subtle difference in flavour between these coffees.
a subtle shift (=a change which is small and not easy to notice)
▪ Recently there has been a subtle shift in public opinion about the environment.
a subtle/gentle hint (=one that is not very easy to understand – sometimes used ironically when someone is being very obvious)
▪ I'm sick of her subtle hints that I'm not welcome here.
delicate/subtle (=pleasant and not strong)
▪ The wine should be served cold so that it doesn’t lose any of its delicate flavour.
subtle nuances
▪ subtle nuances of meaning
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
less
▪ But there could be a less subtle explanation.
▪ In the Mazurkas, however, Andsnes is less subtle or resilient than several more experienced Chopin pianists.
more
▪ This leads to the second, more subtle question: one of identity.
▪ But more subtle problems remain-related to sexism, pure and simple.
▪ But there was a more subtle purpose behind these proposals, fully vindicated by what subsequently happened.
▪ In other families, these expressions are more subtle.
▪ But the poems which he wrote are much more subtle than this obvious insult.
▪ I think his real secret life was more innocent, and at the same time more subtle.
▪ Other drugs work in slightly more subtle ways.
▪ Sounds like the brain is more subtle.
most
▪ Expression has been lost with the injuries to Harry Kewell and Stephen McPhail, the most subtle passer in the squad.
▪ Sensing with all his faculties, his most subtle emotions are aroused.
▪ Now Benjamin and I were most subtle.
quite
▪ Moreover, because the potentials have complex waveforms quite subtle analyses of the impact of experimental variables are possible.
▪ We know from many studies that quite subtle changes in tasks can significantly alter their difficulty level.
▪ The differences in composition are sometimes quite subtle so the technique must also be accurate and precise.
▪ This makes the book again quite realistic, as the humour is quite subtle.
▪ The nature of the intimidation was at first quite subtle.
▪ The distinctions between the three cell types are quite subtle and may only be obvious after quite extensive testing.
so
▪ It was a movement so subtle that it seemed to occur from the corner of her eye.
▪ But they were active, and clamorous, and in subtle and not so subtle ways they corrupted the intellectual atmosphere.
▪ Yet she was itching to move to the metropolis and bombarded her parents with subtle and not so subtle requests.
▪ Then, there was Jewel, one of those singers who is so subtle and so good at what she does.
▪ The sense of hierarchy was so subtle as to be almost non-existent.
▪ He would put some one together, build an Identity, a skein of persuasion and habit, ever so subtle.
▪ The expectation is so subtle that it can be transmitted even when the experimenter conveys his instructions by means of a tape recording.
▪ He was so subtle as to deceive even the quickest witted people.
too
▪ It acts as if it is looking after all our interests in ways too subtle and refined for us to understand.
▪ I hope the message has not been too subtle.
▪ Am I bein' too subtle for you?
▪ The implications of love were too subtle for my understanding.
▪ He wasn't too subtle but he was effective.
▪ If anything, his trancey selection is a little too subtle.
▪ But that reasoning was surely too subtle.
▪ He spends as much time out of the house as possible, and what they do is too subtle for him to notice.
very
▪ Their show of power and manipulation of the world around them is, with some pride types, very subtle.
▪ A dangerous question, because now you begin to notice the very subtle condescension.
▪ I've never sat down and tried to figure all that shit out - it gets very subtle and very complicated.
▪ Power is rarely overtly visible; it is often very subtle in its various expressions.
▪ And so the Tortoise now began To hatch a very subtle plan.
▪ Jones was very subtle about his use of sexuality to mislead his people.
▪ It suddenly occurred to her that total disregard of her escapade was a very subtle punishment indeed.
▪ The message, of course, was very subtle.
■ NOUN
body
▪ This part of the subtle body can be photographed by a high voltage technique called Kirlian photography.
▪ Another phenomenon related to the subtle body is the perception of disembodied entities.
▪ Its subtle body shift has the power to nullify a forceful attack from an opponent.
▪ Just as the blood is circulated through our physical body, so energy flows through and between the subtle bodies.
change
▪ From time to time a subtle change may be made to the details of the computation of the index.
▪ Scores on behavioural catalogues may appear fickle from one context to another precisely because they are sensitive to subtle changes.
▪ The cause was traced to a subtle change in assembly procedures.
▪ We know from many studies that quite subtle changes in tasks can significantly alter their difficulty level.
▪ But because of a subtle change in the structure of aldehyde dehydrogenase, this second detox step is blocked in some people.
▪ It was mainly due to a subtle change in Francis.
▪ The reason is not clear, but must be the result of some subtle change in the genetic information in the nucleus.
difference
▪ Basically all the major schemes have the same rules, with a couple of subtle differences.
▪ Newborn infants are also better at hearing subtle differences, compared with adults.
▪ Other, more subtle differences show up in the symmetry properties of weak and electromagnetic interactions.
▪ A child can not comprehend the subtle difference between illegal segregation in the South and racial imbalance in the North.
▪ Each involves subtle differences in the investment strategy of the parties involved.
▪ There is efficacy and grace in the process alone and the subtle differences come only with experience.
▪ Perfect pitch is necessary for understanding the subtle differences between similar sounding words in these languages, she says.
▪ It seemed to me this evening that there was a subtle difference about him.
distinction
▪ The definition of yeomen was complex, a matter of subtle distinctions.
▪ Even in his haste he noted subtle distinctions of taste between cerebellum and cortex, between frontal lobes and limbic system.
▪ In what follows, I shall play fast and loose with these words and the subtle distinctions between them.
▪ We didn't have much time for subtle distinctions down in East Oxford.
▪ There's a subtle distinction here.
▪ In addition, all new publications are designed for creation on the system - a subtle distinction from being designed on the system.
energy
▪ He teaches that essential oils can also be used to balance the subtle energy forces in the body similar to acupuncture.
▪ In 1938 he postulated that leys and prehistoric sites marked a network of subtle energy and that this power could be detected.
▪ They are of a similar subtle energy or material, just as our own bodies are.
▪ They simply lack the subtle energy fields or mental configuration in which such an appreciation of physical reality can arise.
flavour
▪ Kikkoman Soy Sauce takes its pure and subtle flavour from the lengthy natural fermentation process.
▪ Goujons of sole Here's a recipe to make the lovely, firm texture and subtle flavour of sole go a little further.
▪ The latter are the hottest, the dried berries having a more subtle flavour.
▪ Processed Caerphilly can be rather bland, but a traditional farmhouse variety has a delicious, if subtle flavour.
▪ It gave the dish a very subtle flavour, that Port-Salut.
form
▪ Now the tobacco industry is going for the slightly more subtle form of advertising which is sponsorship.
▪ Maybe it was a subtle form of retaliation.
▪ In a somewhat more subtle form, these tendencies continue into later childhood.
▪ One more subtle form of sexism contributes to lower salaries for women, Sullivan said.
▪ More subtle forms of cultural influence also abound.
▪ There are many more subtler forms of exerting pressure and discrimination.
▪ Though her technique clearly derives from the modernists, it is adapted into a unique, subtle form of her own.
▪ But how did such a subtle form of protection evolve?
hint
▪ It can be anything from a rich and succulent casserole to a stir fry recipe with a subtle hint of the Orient.
▪ He was apparently out of favor with the judges, some of whom had dropped subtle hints that Galindo should move on.
▪ My subtle and not-so-subtle hints to the neighbor did not seem to produce results.
▪ Pictorial representations of women can carry all kinds of subtle hints and messages, can indeed convey a whole world-view of meaning.
▪ And, despite numerous subtle hints - like hiding his desk and computer - he still won't leave us alone.
nuance
▪ But there are more subtle nuances in that story.
▪ These additional flavor layers offer greater opportunities to marry the dish with the subtle nuances of a fine Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot.
▪ Scientists now understand the subtle nuances of its genetic machinery.
shade
▪ As with the Hebrew prophets, there were no greys, no subtle shades.
▪ His ear is magnificent, capturing each subtle shade of accent and edge, each riff of language.
▪ For a natural glow to your skin mix a subtle shade of blusher with loose powder.
▪ The flowers are a subtle shade of pale green, rimmed in purple as the days go on.
▪ Luckily it had short sleeves, and she knew that the subtle shade of pale aquamarine suited her colouring.
▪ There are no hidden depths or subtle shades here.
▪ Although most mosaics comprise three to six basic colours, a work of good quality will include many subtle shades.
shift
▪ But some underlying patterning remains, despite the intervening years and the subtle shifts in values and beliefs.
▪ There also was a subtle shift in defensive emphasis and a major one on offense that combined to save them from themselves.
▪ This subtle shift has a great deal to do with the current fashion accessory of an eligible husband rather than an eligible boss.
variation
▪ Push boundaries, take risks, and interweave unique colour schemes with subtle variations.
▪ For exam-ple, an emergency or operating room is not the best environment for monitoring subtle variations in heartbeats.
▪ Because she has caught the subtle variations of movement and behaviour within the general flow, the sculpture has life and drama.
▪ By the l98Os the city had been divided into many different areas, each with its own subtle variations.
▪ In my audio record of the dive, I run out of adjectives to describe the subtle variations in the lava morphologies.
way
▪ They ignored, too, the more subtle ways in which Tripoli set the terms of discussion.
▪ Was the edge in her voice a subtle way of passing on her bitterness?
▪ The cells in the embryo are initially much less specialized and differ from each other in more subtle ways.
▪ But a small and growing body of research indicates that subordinates can and do influence their superiors in subtle ways.
▪ As she sees you, and senses your interest, her posture changes in subtle ways.
▪ But these more subtle ways of winning access have not entirely displaced the direct cash payment.
▪ Even those who do not condemn democracy out of hand have often contrived more subtle ways of disparaging it.
▪ And in virtually all societies that have a legislature, its members can exercise political power in many subtle ways.
ways
▪ They ignored, too, the more subtle ways in which Tripoli set the terms of discussion.
▪ But they were active, and clamorous, and in subtle and not so subtle ways they corrupted the intellectual atmosphere.
▪ The cells in the embryo are initially much less specialized and differ from each other in more subtle ways.
▪ But a small and growing body of research indicates that subordinates can and do influence their superiors in subtle ways.
▪ As she sees you, and senses your interest, her posture changes in subtle ways.
▪ But these more subtle ways of winning access have not entirely displaced the direct cash payment.
▪ Even those who do not condemn democracy out of hand have often contrived more subtle ways of disparaging it.
▪ And in virtually all societies that have a legislature, its members can exercise political power in many subtle ways.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ a subtle hint of almond
▪ It was around this time that I started to notice subtle changes in Clive's character.
▪ Linda was able to influence her superiors in subtle ways.
▪ She wasn't ever subtle in giving her opinion.
▪ Some of the more subtle forms of malnutrition are difficult to identify.
▪ The patterns look very similar, but there are subtle differences between them.
▪ We noticed some deterioration in her speech, but it was very subtle.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ But they were active, and clamorous, and in subtle and not so subtle ways they corrupted the intellectual atmosphere.
▪ Even the first version of Bacon is subtler than this summary suggests.
▪ However subtle we are forced to make our idea of science, nature remains an independent realm awaiting discovery.
▪ Instead it has a subtle onion flavor that makes it much more complex and interesting.
▪ It is often amazing how the most insignificant contributor to a project can foresee the subtlest problem and devise a solution.
▪ Look for their Hair Glistener - it leaves hair smelling irresistible and creates subtle, glittering highlights in your hair.
▪ More subtle pressures relating to meetings are already assumed to be inevitable.
▪ Very soon the research opened my mind to more subtle ideas.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
subtle

Subtile \Sub"tile\, a. [L. subtilis. See Subtile.]

  1. Thin; not dense or gross; rare; as, subtile air; subtile vapor; a subtile medium.

  2. Delicately constituted or constructed; nice; fine; delicate; tenuous; finely woven. ``A sotil [subtile] twine's thread.''
    --Chaucer.

    More subtile web Arachne can not spin.
    --Spenser.

    I do distinguish plain Each subtile line of her immortal face.
    --Sir J. Davies.

  3. Acute; piercing; searching.

    The slow disease and subtile pain.
    --Prior.

    5. Characterized by nicety of discrimination; discerning; delicate; refined; subtle. [In this sense now commonly written subtle.]

    The genius of the Spanish people is exquisitely subtile, without being at all acute; hence there is so much humor and so little wit in their literature. The genius of the Italians, on the contrary, is acute, profound, and sensual, but not subtile; hence what they think to be humorous, is merely witty.
    --Coleridge.

    The subtile influence of an intellect like Emerson's.
    --Hawthorne.

    5. Sly; artful; cunning; crafty; subtle; as, a subtile person; a subtile adversary; a subtile scheme. [In this sense now commonly written subtle.]

    Syn: Subtile, Acute.

    Usage: In acute the image is that of a needle's point; in subtile that of a thread spun out to fineness. The acute intellect pierces to its aim; the subtile (or subtle) intellect winds its way through obstacles. [1913 Webster] -- Sub"tile*ly, adv. -- Sub"tile*ness, n.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
subtle

c.1300 (mid-13c. as a surname), sotil, "penetrating; ingenious; refined" (of the mind); "sophisticated, intricate, abstruse" (of arguments), from Old French sotil, soutil, subtil "adept, adroit; cunning, wise; detailed; well-crafted" (12c., Modern French subtil), from Latin subtilis "fine, thin, delicate, finely woven;" figuratively "precise, exact, accurate," in taste or judgment, "fine, keen," of style, "plain, simple, direct," from sub "under" (see sub-) + -tilis, from tela "web, net, warp of a fabric" (see texture (n.)). \n

\nFrom early 14c. in reference to things, "of thin consistency;" in reference to craftsmen, "cunning, skilled, clever;" Depreciative sense "insidious, treacherously cunning; deceitful" is from mid-14c. Material senses of "not dense or viscous, light; pure; delicate, thin, slender; fine, consisting of small particles" are from late 14c. sotil wares were goods sold in powdered form or finely ground. Partially re-Latinized in spelling, and also by confusion with subtile.

Wiktionary
subtle

a. 1 Hard to grasp; not obvious or easily understood; barely noticeable. 2 (context of a thing English) cleverly contrived. 3 (context of a person or animal English) cunning, skillful. 4 insidious 5 tenuous; rarefied; of low density or thin consistency.

Related phrases:
WordNet
subtle

  1. adj. 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" [syn: elusive]

  2. faint and difficult to analyze; "subtle aromas"

  3. able to make fine distinctions; "a subtle mind"

  4. working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way; "glaucoma is an insidious disease"; "a subtle poison" [syn: insidious, pernicious]

Wikipedia
Subtle (band)

Subtle was an alternative hip hop sextet from Oakland, California. It consisted of Adam Drucker ( Doseone), Jeffrey Logan ( Jel), Dax Pierson, Jordan Dalrymple, Alexander Kort, and Marty Dowers. The band was formed in 2001. While considered by the artists to be "genreless", Subtle had close ties to the hip hop and indie music scene.

Although both Doseone and Jel are members of Anticon collective, Subtle was not on the Anticon label roster. Subtle was signed to Lex Records.

Subtle

Subtle may refer to:

  • Subtle (band), a musical group consisting of members of the anticon. hip-hop collective
  • Doctor Subtilis, John Duns Scotus
  • Subtle body, an idea in mysticism
  • The Subtle Knife, a novel by Philip Pullman and the second book in the trilogy His Dark Materials
  • Subtle, a character in The Alchemist (play) by Ben Jonson
  • Subtle, a tiling window manager
Related phrases:

Usage examples of "subtle".

With what passionate academicism he devoted himself to assigning phenomena their rightful places in his subtle and intricate theology!

East was bestowed, by the same influence, on Sabinian, a wealthy and subtle veteran, who had attained the infirmities, without acquiring the experience, of age.

Another subtle aspect of addiction is that, although it is the first dose that hooks us, the whole process is usually so subtle and gradual that it can take years for us to realize that we are actually hooked.

And though a landing aboard the carrier at night in bad weather was far and above the most challenging feat of airmanship one could attempt, making the same approach on a fixed, unmoving airfield posed a different kind of threat--just as deadly, but far more subtle.

For one thing, there was a subtle, indefinable sense of limitless antiquity and utter alienage which affected one like a view from the brink of a monstrous abyss of unplumbed blackness - but mostly it was the expression of crazed fear on the puckered, prognathous, half-shielded face.

She was sure it was the subtle implications of the gift that had caused Anomia to lose control so completely.

Then, as he bent over the sword, the thong-tied, golden ring fell out from his tunic, swinging in front of him like a subtle message from the mighty god Axan himself.

Paris, which is now more zealous in the study of antiquity than in the subtle investigation of truth, did English subtlety, which illumined by the lights of former times is always sending forth fresh rays of truth, produce anything to the advancement of science or the declaration of the faith, this was instantly poured still fresh into our ears, ungarbled by any babbler, unmutilated by any trifler, but passing straight from the purest of wine-presses into the vats of our memory to be clarified.

Miss Bede had, in her usual subtle way, made known her intention of winning Mill House.

He detailed the subtle point in Gittin which, so long ago, he had disputed in much the same terms with his clever young cousin, Berel Jastrow, in the noisy study hall of the Oswiecim yeshiva.

All my cleverly subtle, hilariously bitchy remarks stuff that -would normally have him laughing himself sick - were instead being met with swift kicks under the table.

But their reluctance was not too strong, and it was evident in a subtle way that Boke would win their aid.

They were walking toward the door, Cardona and Brye, the inspector making suggestions that he considered subtle.

She was surrounded by subtle noises: the bangs and whirrs of fans and pumps, the bubbling of aerators.

I visualized that cat now, but within minutes I could visualize nothing but the immediate and overpowering sense of my dear friend opening to me, of the subtle taste of the sea, of our movements like the tide rising, of all of my senses being centered in the slow but growing sensation at the core of me.