subtile

adjective

Definition of subtilenext
as in subtle

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for subtile
  1. subtle
  2. cunning
  3. wily
  4. artful
  5. crafty
  6. trick
  7. sly
  8. tricky
Adjective
  • In Lepecki’s account, the gesture again demonstrated that stillness in dance always vibrates with subtle motion.
    — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Against a backdrop of wilting flowers that left a subtle funk in the air, designer Glenn Martens once again put forth ideas that challenged conventions of beautiful clothing.
    — Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of subtle
Adjective
  • Magpies are opportunistic scavengers, incredibly cunning and deceitful and capable of calculated deception.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Last week, Alan Cumming’s cunning competition empire The Traitors unsheathed its most diabolical twist yet.
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of cunning
Adjective
  • The movie was initially teased with a wily fake relationship.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The Italian champions’ addition of Three Lions — England internationals John Stones, Curtis Jones and Djed Spence — is aimed at bringing more dynamism to a wily group who have reached two Champions League finals in four years.
    — James Horncastle, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of wily
Adjective
  • Some are simply for those who want to hide ugly rental apartment floors with a bold colorway or an artful pattern.
    — Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Elevated flats dominate for day, while statement heels confirm that sculptural, artful footwear is officially back.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of artful
Adjective
  • This year, there’s something for nearly every interest, from cheese lovers and bookworms to crafty adults and puzzle enthusiasts.
    — Casey DelBasso, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Soto has been crafty on the base paths, recording nine steals on 12 attempts.
    — Data Skrive, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of crafty
Adjective
  • As Halloween approaches, investors seem fearful that good credit performance may be more trick than treat.
    — Telis Demos, WSJ, 21 Oct. 2022
  • If the high cost of it all is more trick than treat for you, here are several ways to turn your already smart home into a spook-tacularly genius haunted house.
    — Jennifer Jolly, USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2021
Definition of trick
Adjective
  • Whether these stories are fictional or heightened for comic effect is irrelevant; Simmons-Patterson’s conversational delivery and sly smile are so magnetic that audiences want to spend time in his universe either way.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Asked if Cole would be guaranteed a start in the Wild Card round, the likeliest scenario for the Yankees, the manager replied with a sly smile on Friday.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of sly
Adjective
  • The drone also needs to know exactly where the branch is, and that’s when things get tricky.
    — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 26 Sep. 2026
  • For journalists, being romantically involved with your subject treads a tricky ethical line.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of tricky
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

subterranean
subtile
subtilty
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Subtile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subtile. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All