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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:

We come to admire Ahmad, Perlmutter and Sidhwa, but Teng provides just enough shading so that subtle cultural tensions between the men start to emerge.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

Even Henry Kissinger was more subtle than that.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

Scientists could also search the cosmic microwave background for subtle patterns that might preserve information from a time before the Big Bang.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

On social media, leaks of impending purges often appear in subtle forms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

The young women wondered if the attention to detail was a subtle challenge.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

It’s a subtler way to exert leverage over the world’s most important oil chokepoint, analysts at J.P.

From MarketWatch ● May 19, 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

Bad Bunny’s signifiers were subtler, although some may not have contained the meaning people read into them.

From Salon ● Feb. 9, 2026

I had to find a subtler place where my folks might be.

From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals

The film won’t win any prizes for the subtlest metaphor of the year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025

"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

“Since you asked, it was the subtlest form of expression known to humans. The first novel was probably Murasaki Shikibu’s ‘Tale of Genji,’ written in the 11th century.

From New York Times ● May 1, 2023

The subtlest of time capsules, “Happy Place” resonates with our shared losses from the past few years.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 23, 2023

Many patrons only glance at them before moving on, but the longer you watch, the more you can detect the subtlest of motions.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern




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