Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Showing results for subtle. Search instead for subtri.
Definitions

subtle

[suht-l] / ˈsʌt l /




Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The method functions like an "X-ray" of Earth's crust by analyzing subtle vibrations continuously produced by ocean waves, wind, and human activity.

From Science Daily Aug. 5, 2026

Paul impulsively offers to let him stay—it’s freezing outside, and the boys are charged with locking up at night—while Michael is more cautious, opening up another subtle rift between them.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 29, 2026

But equally, a delayed response or a friend failing to follow through on plans can trigger subtle stress responses in the nervous system.

From BBC Jul. 28, 2026

“I feel like that conversation is very subtle and there’s times when you need to just be speaking black-and-white terms and say, ‘I’m gay’ as opposed to saying, ‘Sexuality’s very complicated.’

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 24, 2026

He attended school functions and the girls' sporting events as he could, but his opportunities to mingle were limited, and the presence of his security detail was never subtle.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

The subtler communication went both ways: Tehran’s allies were greeted with complimentary verses from the Quran.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 6, 2026

It remains to be seen whether “Kitchen Undercover” will rely on prosthetics, fake mustaches or merely the subtler costume of the unrecognized employee.

From Salon Jul. 5, 2026

What draws him most is subtler than that.

From BBC Apr. 29, 2026

While not in any way rabble-rousing, they wage subtler revolutions.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 8, 2026

That they marched heedlessly to tragedy is a subtler one.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

By subconsciously mirroring even the subtlest twitches of expression and biological rhythms of other people, we can channel their thoughts and feelings.

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 22, 2026

In his subtlest, most challenging and finest performance since his Oscar-nominated double role in “Adaptation.”

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 4, 2024

The group’s project, which is sponsored by the Colombian government, focuses on the subtlest, non-motor symptoms of the disease.

From New York Times May 23, 2023

"Blinks are one of the subtlest of human movements, so designing mechanisms that can mimic these movements require advanced technology, such as high-precision motors," Ms Kiilavuori explains.

From BBC May 4, 2023

Tragedy turned him into one of the subtlest and sharpest satirists in American letters.

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin




Vocabulary lists containing subtle


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training