subtle.
Senses relating to tangible things.
Meaning & usage
Senses relating to tangible things. Of an action or movement: very delicate or slight, and thus barely noticeable; not obvious; inconspicuous, unintrusive.
Senses relating to tangible things. Having a delicate or fine substance or texture; hence, exquisite, refined.
Senses relating to tangible things. Slender, thin.
Senses relating to tangible things. Of a substance: finely powdered; also, of particles of a substance: very fine or small.
Senses relating to tangible things. Of weight: after the tare (“weight of an empty container”) has been subtracted; net.
Senses relating to tangible things. Of a substance, especially a gas or liquid: of low density or thin consistency; rarefied, tenuous; hence, tending to spread everywhere due to this quality.
Senses relating to tangible things. Synonym of subtile (“of a ship: narrow, slender”).
Senses relating to intangible things. Of an argument or concept, words, etc.: requiring one to distinguish between fine points, especially if it is difficult to do so; nice; also (generally), difficult to grasp; not easily understood or obvious.
Senses relating to intangible things. Giving only a slight impression; elusive, indistinct; also, skilfully restrained or understated.
The difference between the tones is subtle, but you can hear it if you listen carefully.
Senses relating to intangible things. Of an artist, a musician, etc.: having a light touch; sensitive.
Senses relating to intangible things. Of a person: sensitive to the feelings of others; discreet, tactful.
Senses relating to intangible things. Of a person, their intellect or mind, etc.: discerning, perceptive, shrewd, wise.
Senses relating to intangible things. Acting (especially causing harm) in a stealthy, often gradual, manner; insidious.
Senses relating to intangible things. Of a person or their fingers or hands, their ability, etc.: dexterous, skilful.
Senses relating to intangible things. Of a person or animal, or of an action or words: clever or skilful in a crafty or devious way; cunning, sly, wily.
Senses relating to intangible things. Of ground used for bowling: not smooth; uneven.
Senses relating to intangible things. Of an object: cleverly contrived or made; also, of a plan, etc.: cleverly contrived or carried out.
Where this word comes from
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”), from the adjective.
People or things that are subtle (adjective sense) as a class.
Where this word comes from
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”), from the adjective.
To make (something) subtle (“giving only a slight impression; also, skilfully restrained or understated”).
To burn (someone or something) to ash.
Where this word comes from
Partly from both of the following: * From Middle English sotilen, subtile, subtilien (“to reflect on (something); to become mentally keen; to connive, scheme; to contrive, invent; to become pure or thin; to (cause something to) become light or thin; (medicine) to lighten or reduce (a diet)”), from Anglo-Norman sotiller, soutiller, sutiller, Middle French soutiller, soutillier, and Old French soutillier (“to make thin; to sharpen; to split hairs when arguing; to scheme, plot”), from Old French sotil, soutil, subtil, sutil (noun) (see etymology 1) + -ier (suffix forming infinitives of first-conjugation verbs), partly influenced by Late Latin subtīliāre, the present active infinitive of subtīliō (“to act craftily; to diminish”), from Latin subtīlis (adjective) (see etymology 1) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs). * From subtle (adjective).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.