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
If a panel fails to express those subtleties, all the audience sees is a flat mass of darkness.
—
Bae Dongmi, Variety, 30 June 2025
Instead, this otherwise generic ballad that preaches the merits of rejoicing in partnership, love guiding the way and sacred gardens with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, showcases a trio steeped in restraint.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 27 June 2025
Chalfant illustrates this in the film with exquisite subtlety, assuming by turns the disposition of a coy flirt and a take-charge kitchen taskmaster.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 20 June 2025
These artists know that flamboyance needn’t preclude subtlety, and that stardom neither guarantees nor bars revelation.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for subtlety
Bae Dongmi, Variety, 30 June 2025
Instead, this otherwise generic ballad that preaches the merits of rejoicing in partnership, love guiding the way and sacred gardens with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, showcases a trio steeped in restraint.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 27 June 2025
Chalfant illustrates this in the film with exquisite subtlety, assuming by turns the disposition of a coy flirt and a take-charge kitchen taskmaster.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 20 June 2025
These artists know that flamboyance needn’t preclude subtlety, and that stardom neither guarantees nor bars revelation.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for subtlety
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subtlety
cunning
Noun
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The chief specimen here (played by MMA fighter Chi Lewis-Parry) is a massive beast whose brute strength is matched by his cunning.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
18 June 2025
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On the other end of the spectrum was the more docile Kelly who often felt conflicted when her morals clashed with the cunning needed to succeed in the game.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
27 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Subtlety.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subtlety. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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