How to Use subtle in a Sentence

subtle

adjective

• She has a subtle mind.
• It was her subtle way of telling me to mind my own business.
• He didn't seem to understand my subtle hints.
• When it comes to giving criticism, sometimes it's best to take a subtle approach.
• Racial discrimination still exists, only now it's subtler than it once was.
• But there is a subtle shift in play.
  — Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
• The subtler move is the smarter one.
  — Usa Today, USA Today, 5 Apr. 2026
• Add subtle depth and warmth to long dark locks.
  — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2026
• There’s subtle tang from the sour cream and cream cheese.
  — Jasmine Smith, Southern Living, 11 Oct. 2025
• Chives have an even more subtle onion taste than green onions.
  — Aly Walansky, Southern Living, 5 Jan. 2026
• The old-school vinyl theme is a subtle nod to that piece of the past.
  — Nikki Delamotte, cleveland.com, 7 May 2018
• Much of this season has been a subtle flex of her depth.
  — Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
• Roszak added subtle curls to her hair using ghd tools.
  — Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 16 Mar. 2026
• Finish with a few subtle caramel tones and a gloss.
  — Loren Savini, Allure, 14 Feb. 2026
• Mix and match the pieces with solids for a more subtle effect.
  — Caitlin King, The Seattle Times, 1 Oct. 2018
• When this fails, the symptoms are slow and subtle.
  — Maman Ibrahim, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
• And that’s one of the more subtle passages.
  — Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 2 Mar. 2026
• The gorgeous white gold piece is subtle but packs a punch, too.
  — Katherine J Igoe, Marie Claire, 17 Jan. 2020
• The menu’s throwbacks will be much less subtle.
  — Su-Jit Lin, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2025
• No subtle sighs about the laundry pile.
  — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
• Other nods were a bit more subtle.
  — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2026
• But the ways in which wildlife suffer at our hands can be far subtler.
  — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, 9 July 2018
• In the bowl, the cabbage is tangy, with a subtle hint of fruit.
  — Janelle Bitker, SFChronicle.com, 3 June 2020
• More and more, his friends noticed subtle changes.
  — James Marcus, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
• Hayes was right there to soak it in and that message wasn’t subtle.
  — Miami Herald, 6 Jan. 2026
• Buried in the pitch were subtle disclaimers.
  — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
• Chocolate is subtle in this ale, which is not too sweet and not too spicy.
  — Marc Bona, cleveland, 4 Dec. 2022
• There are other, more subtle, hints strewn through the episode, too.
  — Bryan Bishop, The Verge, 18 June 2018
• The grits were creamy, but not soupy and packed with flavor while still subtle.
  — Worth Sparkman, Axios, 16 Sep. 2024
• The garish leaves are not subtle.
  — Steve Bender, Southern Living, 10 Mar. 2026