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subtlety

[suht-l-tee]

Example Sentences

noun, plural -ties.

the state or quality of being subtle.

delicacy or nicety of character or meaning.

acuteness or penetration of mind; delicacy of discrimination.

a fine-drawn distinction; refinement of reasoning: the subtleties of logic.

something subtle.

EXPAND

History/Historical. an elaborate confection, ornate in construction and ornamentation, sometimes edible but more often made and used as a decoration for a table or buffet.

COLLAPSE

Origin:
1300–50; Middle English subtelte, sutilte < Old French sutilte < Latin subtīlitāt- (stem of subtīlitās) fineness, equivalent to subtīli(s) subtile + -tāt- -ty²

Related forms

hy·per·sub·tle·ty, noun

non·sub·tle·ty, noun, plural -ties.

o·ver·sub·tle·ty, noun, plural -ties.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To subtlety

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Subtlety is a GRE word you need to know.

So is compendium. Does it mean:

a brief account of an extensive subject; a summary

to catch and hold, attract and fix, to stop and slow down

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Example Sentences

But subtlety has crept into security in recent years.

But pruning your ideas and simplifying your language don't have to eliminate the subtlety and significance of your thought.

The man who once did so much to coarsen political debate has developed a nice line in feline subtlety.

EXPAND

But subtlety has crept into security in recent years.

But pruning your ideas and simplifying your language don't have to eliminate the subtlety and significance of your thought.

The man who once did so much to coarsen political debate has developed a nice line in feline subtlety.

It can remind us that subtlety can be far more beautiful than manipulated imagery.

The subtlety of the human advantage in intelligence delayed, but did not avert, the extermination.

It takes an odd scientific subtlety to see that sort of possibility.

What a shame that this subtlety won't play online the same way it did to the live audience.

He seemed to be enjoying the subtlety of his cross examination.

Influence is a form of violence to some, and the relative subtlety doesn't change the paradigm.

But then, subtlety is the hallmark of credible fiction.

Infusion d'Homme launched this month, and it is a precision-crafted work of subtlety and restraint.

As with many things in the modern world, subtlety is lost.

Subtlety is largely ignored in a forensic study of the history of species, but it's evidence is everywhere around us presently.

The tone is brawny and forceful, with all the subtlety as a kick to the face.

But what they gain in power and spectacle they often lose in subtlety and sophistication.

The trees, some so ancient and so bent that they are sculptures themselves, enhance the majesty and the subtlety of the bronzes.

Print enlarged the vocabulary of the community, and people could see themselves with greater subtlety.

But as he aged, his painting noticeably lost subtlety.

But he more than makes up for this with his greater intellectual depth, subtlety and authorial rigour.

Payne connects, whether with subtlety or scat-fueled energy.

Subtlety is not the long suit of the cracker people.

But the poetic subtlety of the show is marbled with political motifs.

Just to help you out, it is a word that makes more sense to people who understand subtlety and have a sense of humour.

The subtlety of wisdom in the hands of a fool must be made foolish so that he can imagine that he understands.

If the argument is based on the subtlety of money being spent in an area that competes with more important needs.

As scampster said, this isn't really a hard concept to grasp, nor is it one that requires any comprehension of subtlety.

Some islands may have broadcast their presence with far less subtlety than a cloud bank.

Part of her artistry also lay in the subtlety of her hand movements, reminiscent of some of flamenco dance expressiveness:.

The tenderness, richness and subtlety created by cooking meat slowly in its own fat are incomparable.

But this underestimates both the scale of his challenge and the subtlety of his achievement.

The trick to using them effectively is subtlety and combination.

The result is a fascinating demonstration of the subtlety that a new generation of historians is bringing to the period.

That, no doubt, added to the impression of him as an artist for whom color and subtlety of shading are not of primary concern.

Some of the work is sharp and direct, while other pieces challenge through subtlety and indirection.

Maigret mysteries, spare prose, slender plots and unobtrusive detectives were highly prized signs of a writer's subtlety.

The dancers brought a mix of subtlety and enthusiasm to works by.

IN this age of advanced aesthetic enhancement, subtlety is prized.

Most sockpuppeteers have some sense of subtlety to speak.

In large part, the answer has to do with the difference between difficulty and subtlety.

And keeping them warm until serving time, a subtlety that makes a big difference.

We'd be scandalized by the cheek, but we've come to expect such subtlety from the music business.

It took many careful observations and great minds to discover the subtlety of nature.

With the subtlety and grace of your garden-variety infomercial, it lays out its litany of insurmountable problems.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

subtlety (ˈsʌt^əltɪ)

—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 & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Matching Quote

"The most heterogeneous ideas are yoked by violence together; nature and art are ransacked for illustrations, comparisons, and allusions; their learning instructs, and their subtlety surprises; but the reader commonly thinks his improvement dearly bought and, though he sometimes admires, is seldom pleased."

-Samuel Johnson

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