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
Not even Caplan, whose one-note portrayal of a quarrelsome congresswoman is enough to make one yearn for the subtleties and emotional shadings of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
—
Graham Hillard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Mar. 2025
By popular belief, never proved legally, Lansky taught the Mafia’s crude leadership of the 1920s and 1930s, showing them the subtleties of financial manipulation, concealment and investment of the proceeds of bootlegging and gambling.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2025
This extra vibrancy joins with a clear improvement in the subtlety with which the Bravia 5s deliver small color tone shifts and blends to instantly makes pictures look more engaging, three dimensional and enjoyable.
—John Archer, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
The damn thing works because the damn thing works, barreling over you without a concern for subtlety or restraint.
56.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subtlety
Graham Hillard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Mar. 2025
By popular belief, never proved legally, Lansky taught the Mafia’s crude leadership of the 1920s and 1930s, showing them the subtleties of financial manipulation, concealment and investment of the proceeds of bootlegging and gambling.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2025
This extra vibrancy joins with a clear improvement in the subtlety with which the Bravia 5s deliver small color tone shifts and blends to instantly makes pictures look more engaging, three dimensional and enjoyable.
—John Archer, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
The damn thing works because the damn thing works, barreling over you without a concern for subtlety or restraint.
56.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subtlety
Cite this Entry
“Subtlety.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subtlety. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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