as in cunning
skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means
we appreciated the subtlety with which our host indicated that it was time to leave: he volunteered to pack us a little lunch for the road
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of subtlety
The Uzbek defender does not deal in subtleties.
—
Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Her ability to tease out the subtleties of millennial-speak led to over 25 million views and half a million followers.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
The study, by an international group of scientists, discovered that this method of learning – known as third-party imitation – is not exclusive to humans as was widely thought, and could help explain the subtleties of parrot culture and social interactions.
—Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Over millennia, marine animals have honed ears and sonar-like abilities to read their world in vibrations and echoes, turning the ocean into a place both alive with sound and fine-tuned to its subtleties.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subtlety
Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Her ability to tease out the subtleties of millennial-speak led to over 25 million views and half a million followers.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
The study, by an international group of scientists, discovered that this method of learning – known as third-party imitation – is not exclusive to humans as was widely thought, and could help explain the subtleties of parrot culture and social interactions.
—Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Over millennia, marine animals have honed ears and sonar-like abilities to read their world in vibrations and echoes, turning the ocean into a place both alive with sound and fine-tuned to its subtleties.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subtlety
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subtlety
Noun
-
Federico Marchetti, the Italian fashion entrepreneur, is a master of sprezzatura—the courtier’s art of cloaking ambition and cunning in an air of guileless nonchalance.—
John Seabrook,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Despite being outnumbered 50-to-1 by the Five Families of the Italian mafia, The Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
There is a real seriousness to the score — the scheming bad-guy music has the artfulness of Prokofiev, and even the sneaking-around cues have musical integrity and structure.—
Tim Greiving,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Subtlety.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subtlety. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share