subtlety

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sub·tle·ty

(sŭt′l-tē)

n. pl. sub·tle·ties

1. The quality or state of being subtle.

2. Something subtle, especially a nicety of thought or a fine distinction.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

subtlety

(ˈsʌtəltɪ)

n, pl -ties

1. the state or quality of being subtle; delicacy

2. a fine distinction or the ability to make such a distinction

3. something subtle

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

sub•tle•ty

(ˈsʌt l ti)

n., pl. -ties.

1. the state or quality of being subtle.

2. acuteness or penetration of mind; delicacy of discrimination.

3. a fine-drawn distinction; refinement of reasoning.

4. something subtle.

[1300–50; < Old French sutilte < Latin subtīlitās; see subtile, -ity]

Subtlety

of sergeants—Bk. of St. Albans, 1486. (From the use of the title sergeant for lawyers, hence, lawyers collectively.)

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	subtlety - a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude; "without understanding the finer nuances you can't enjoy the humor"; "don't argue about shades of meaning" nuance, nicety, refinement, shade meaning, signification, import, significance - the message that is intended or expressed or signified; "what is the meaning of this sentence"; "the significance of a red traffic light"; "the signification of Chinese characters"; "the import of his announcement was ambiguous"
	2.	subtlety - the quality of being difficult to detect or analyze; "you had to admire the subtlety of the distinctions he drew" niceness difficultness, difficulty - the quality of being difficult; "they agreed about the difficulty of the climb"

subtlety

noun

1. fine point, refinement, nicety, sophistication, delicacy, intricacy, discernment All those linguistic subtleties get lost when a book goes into translation.

2. delicacy, softness, delicateness, subtleness Many of the resulting wines lack the subtlety of the original model.

3. skill, acumen, astuteness, ingenuity, guile, cleverness, deviousness, sagacity, acuteness, craftiness, artfulness, slyness, wiliness She analyses herself with great subtlety.

4. sensitivity, diplomacy, discretion, delicacy, understanding, skill, consideration, judgment, perception, finesse, tact, thoughtfulness, discernment, savoir-faire, adroitness They had obviously been hoping to approach the topic with more subtlety.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

دِقَّه، رِقَّه، ذَكاء، مَهارَه

jemnost

udspekulerethed

Feinheit

διακριτικότητα

sutileza

subtilité finesse nuance

òaî aî vera óljós/hárfínn; kænska

kurnazlık

subtlety

[ˈsʌtltɪ] N

1. (= delicacy, refinement) [of colour, book, humour, person] → sutileza f
his performance lacked subtlety → su actuación carecía de matices
he has all the subtlety of a herd of rhinoceroses → es más bruto que un arao
the subtleties of English → los matices del inglés

2. (= perceptiveness) → perspicacia f, agudeza f
he analyses the situation with great subtlety → analiza la situación con gran perspicacia or agudeza

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

subtlety

[ˈsʌt^əlti] n

(= fine detail) → subtilité f

[work art, film, style] → subtilité f

(= perceptiveness) [person, mind] → subtilité f

(= sensitivity) [approach, manner] → subtilité f

(= delicacy) [flavour, scent, shade] → subtilité f

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

subtlety

(= delicacy) → Feinheit f; (of irony, distinction also) → Subtilität f (geh); (of perfume, flavour also, hint, allusion) → Zartheit f; (of charm) → Unaufdringlichkeit f

(= sophistication, of remark, argument, point) → Scharfsinn (→ igkeit f) m, → Spitzfindigkeit f; (of problem) → Subtilität f; (of design, construction, proof) → Raffiniertheit f; his methods lack subtlety → seinen Methoden fehlt (die) Finesse or Subtilität (geh); the subtleties of the novel → die Feinheiten pl → des Romans; subtlety is wasted on him → feine Andeutungen nützen bei ihm nichts

(= discriminative powers, of observer, critic) → Aufmerksamkeit f, → Subtilität f (geh)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

subtlety

[ˈsʌtltɪ] n (see adj) → sottigliezza, delicatezza

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

subtle

(ˈsatl) adjective

1. faint or delicate in quality, and therefore difficult to describe or explain. There is a subtle difference between `unnecessary' and `not necessary'; a subtle flavour.

2. clever or cunning. He has a subtle mind.

subtlety (ˈsatlti) noun

ˈsubtly adverb

References in classic literature ?

Look attentively at the duels and the hand-to-hand combats, how superior the Italians are in strength, dexterity, and subtlety. But when it comes to armies they do not bear comparison, and this springs entirely from the insufficiency of the leaders, since those who are capable are not obedient, and each one seems to himself to know, there having never been any one so distinguished above the rest, either by valour or fortune, that others would yield to him.

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A curious proof of the subtlety of these Paul Ferroll books in the appeal they made to the imagination is the fact that I came to them fresh from 'Romolo,' and full of horror for myself in Tito; yet I sympathized throughout with Paul Ferroll, and was glad when he got away.

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But in a matter like this, subtlety appeals to subtlety, and without imagination no man can follow another into these halls.

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It was strength pitted against subtlety, and the match was a merry one.

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"You are an insolent fellow, and you have not looked," cried Mazarin, very angrily, "begone and wait my pleasure." Whilst saying these words, with perfectly Italian subtlety he snatched the packet from the hands of Colbert, and re-entered his apartments.

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His fingers seemed to have acquired a new and exquisite subtlety and even a volition of their own.

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Bring them up among honest country folks for freshness, send them to Italy for subtlety, and then--not till then--let them come to London.

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The modern clergyman has acquired in his study of the science which I believe is called exegesis an astonishing facility for explaining things away, but the subtlety with which the Rev.

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Frau Professor Erlin called her establishment a family and not a pension; but it would have required the subtlety of a metaphysician to find out exactly where the difference lay.

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The subtlety of Ikey's action becomes apparent upon recital of his subsequent move.

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Spray, the Independent minister, had begun to preach political sermons, in which he distinguished with much subtlety between his fervent belief in the right of the Catholics to the franchise and his fervent belief in their eternal perdition.

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All this was accomplished with a subtlety so perfect, that the minister, though he had constantly a dim perception of some evil influence watching over him, could never gain a knowledge of its actual nature.