Synonyms for subtle
ˈsʌt lsub·tle

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:2.5 / 2 votes

1. subtleadjective

   Hard to grasp; not obvious or easily understood; barely noticeable.

   The difference is subtle, but you can hear it if you listen carefully.

   Antonyms:
   simple

2. subtleadjective

   Cunning, skillful.

   Synonyms:
   cunning, crafty, skillful

3. subtleadjective

   insidious

   Synonyms:
   insidious

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.0 / 3 votes

1. subtle

   Acute, from the Latin, suggests the sharpness of the needle's point; keen, from the Saxon, the sharpness of the cutting edge. Astute, from the Latin, with the original sense of cunning has come to have a meaning that combines the sense of acute or keen with that of sagacious. The astute mind adds to acuteness and keenness an element of cunning or finesse. The astute debater leads his opponents into a snare by getting them to make admissions, or urge arguments, of which he sees a result that they do not perceive. The acute, keen intellect may take no special advantage of these qualities; the astute mind has always a point to make for itself, and seldom fails to make it. A knowing look, air, etc., in general indicates practical knowledge with a touch of shrewdness, and perhaps of cunning; in regard to some special matter, it indicates the possession of reserved knowledge which the person could impart if he chose. Knowing has often a slightly invidious sense. We speak of a knowing rascal, meaning cunning or shrewd within a narrow range, but of a knowing horse or dog, in the sense of sagacious, implying that he knows more than could be expected of such an animal. A knowing child has more knowledge than would be looked for at his years, perhaps more than is quite desirable, while to speak of a child as intelligent is altogether complimentary.

   Synonyms:
   acute, astute, clear-sighted, crafty, cunning, discerning, discriminating, keen, knowing, penetrating, penetrative, perspicacious, sagacious, sharp, shrewd, subtile

   Antonyms:
   blind, dull, idiotic, imbecile, shallow, short-sighted, stolid, stupid, undiscerning, unintelligent

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.3 / 3 votes

1. subtle

   Synonyms:
   sly, artful, cunning, insinuating, wily, astute, nice, discriminating, crafty, fine, shrewd, sophistical, jesuitical

   Antonyms:
   open, frank, honest, artless, undiscriminating, rough, blunt, undiscerning, unsophisticated, simple

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. elusive, subtleadjective

   difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze

   "his whole attitude had undergone a subtle change"; "a subtle difference"; "that elusive thing the soul"

   Synonyms:
   pernicious, baffling, problematic, knotty, tough, insidious, elusive, problematical

   Antonyms:
   tangible, unperceptive, harmless, palpable, unperceiving

2. subtleadjective

   able to make fine distinctions

   "a subtle mind"

   Synonyms:
   insidious, elusive, pernicious

   Antonyms:
   tangible, harmless, palpable, unperceptive, unperceiving

3. insidious, pernicious, subtleadjective

   working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way

   "glaucoma is an insidious disease"; "a subtle poison"

   Synonyms:
   pestilent, elusive, baneful, pernicious, insidious, deadly

   Antonyms:
   unperceiving, tangible, unperceptive, harmless, palpable

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. subtleadjective

   Synonyms:
   crafty, cunning, artful, sly, wily, arch, astute, designing, intriguing, insinuating, crooked, tricky, diplomatic, machiavelian

2. subtleadjective

   Synonyms:
   acute, keen, shrewd, sagacious, deep, profound

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. subtleadjective

   Synonyms:
   artful, cunning, sly, designing, crafty, refined, discriminating

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:1.0 / 1 vote

1. List of paraphrases for "subtle":

   delicate, sophisticated, discreet, nuanced, cunning, perceptive

Suggested Resources

1. subtle

   Song lyrics by subtle -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by subtle on the Lyrics.com website.

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How to use subtle in a sentence?

1. Jerry Seinfeld:

   It's just hard to be funny, everybody kind of thinks they're funny or wants to be funny, but even the people that are great at being funny aren't funny a lot of the time because it's just a tricky, subtle thing that evokes that response of laughter [from an audience].

2. Michael Mann:

   The impacts of climate change are no longer subtle, we are seeing them play out in real time in the form of unprecedented heatwaves, floods, droughts and wildfires. And we've seen them all this summer.

3. National Science Foundation:

   Black holes have sparked imaginations for decades, they have exotic properties and are mysterious to us. Yet with more observations like this one they are yielding their secrets. This is why NSF exists. We enable scientists and engineers to illuminate the unknown, to reveal the subtle and complex majesty of our universe.

4. Shelly Palmer:

   The science fiction version of robots or AI falling into a ‘ man vs. machine ’ conflict is embellished to make good visuals – the truth is far more subtle and is and has been going on for years.

5. Lauren Moran:

   There are subtle differences in the way Adderall and Ritalin affect dopamine systems in the brain.