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
The striking arrow shapes are an empowering accessory, yet there’s a subtlety in the muted bronze, ebony, and antique diamonds (which have a softer shimmer than modern cuts).
—
Jill Newman, Robb Report, 19 Oct. 2025
Harper has a good feel for finding the subtleties in straightforward situations to create an advantage.
—Jared Weiss, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
However, by creating sharp boundaries, the schema obscured the subtleties of what happened between them.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 17 Oct. 2025
For an actor who’s long mastered the art of subtlety, this role feels like a deliberate shake-up, and a reminder that Stanfield’s range still has new corners to reveal.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subtlety
Jill Newman, Robb Report, 19 Oct. 2025
Harper has a good feel for finding the subtleties in straightforward situations to create an advantage.
—Jared Weiss, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
However, by creating sharp boundaries, the schema obscured the subtleties of what happened between them.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 17 Oct. 2025
For an actor who’s long mastered the art of subtlety, this role feels like a deliberate shake-up, and a reminder that Stanfield’s range still has new corners to reveal.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subtlety
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subtlety
Noun
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The story follows Toto, an almost completely blind cat with incredible ninja skills, who must use her courage and cunning to stop a deadly King Cobra that has escaped onto the streets of London, alongside her cheeky brother Silver.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
21 Oct. 2025
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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
Noun
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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
Cite this Entry
“Subtlety.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subtlety. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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