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
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Recent Examples of subtlety
Fukada stealthily shades in these subtleties of feeling into the story with exacting skill, creating a drama that touches on social issues but never feels issues-driven.
—
Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
Tracks may start with classy piano, but subtlety is almost never the end product; the group wields sidechains like a bandolier, extracting the maximum possible velocity in every kick while retaining the gooey melodic centre.
—Nathan Evans, Pitchfork, 12 May 2026
The gangsters who are running the country almost pride themselves on a lack of subtlety and finesse.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 11 May 2026
But whether this person galumphed, ambled, or dragged herself up the trail is a matter of what subtleties her movement suggested to you.
—Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for subtlety
Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
Tracks may start with classy piano, but subtlety is almost never the end product; the group wields sidechains like a bandolier, extracting the maximum possible velocity in every kick while retaining the gooey melodic centre.
—Nathan Evans, Pitchfork, 12 May 2026
The gangsters who are running the country almost pride themselves on a lack of subtlety and finesse.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 11 May 2026
But whether this person galumphed, ambled, or dragged herself up the trail is a matter of what subtleties her movement suggested to you.
—Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for subtlety
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subtlety
Noun
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For everyone else, including this freelance journalist without an expense account, the approach is more like a military-level obstacle course designed to test your cunning and will.—
Jada Yuan,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
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The quality that drew Kurosawa to Yonezawa’s novel in the first place is not valor or cunning but something considerably less heroic.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
19 May 2026
Noun
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Mike Bowman, designer, furniture industry expert, and director of marketing for Harmonia Living, says this trend relies on furnishings to bring artfulness to a space—rather than just functionality.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Jan. 2026
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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
Noun
-
The real surprise comes from the subtleness of the rose.—
Katlyn Moncada,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subtlety.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subtlety. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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