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
But whether this person galumphed, ambled, or dragged herself up the trail is a matter of what subtleties her movement suggested to you.
—
Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
In an edition that was all about the subtleties of watchmaking, one had to keep their eyes peeled to get all the subtleties of what the exhibitors at Watches and Wonders packed into 40-something-millimeter formats.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 1 May 2026
Our apologies, dear reader, for repeating the same point twice with our introduction, but these are times when creative repetition can be superior to any attempt at subtlety or originality.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Key and especially Strong could convey depth and emotion, subtlety, and often weirdness via their small choices and close ups, defining their characters in opposition to the town’s broad-for-the-sake-of-comedy denizens.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subtlety
Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
In an edition that was all about the subtleties of watchmaking, one had to keep their eyes peeled to get all the subtleties of what the exhibitors at Watches and Wonders packed into 40-something-millimeter formats.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 1 May 2026
Our apologies, dear reader, for repeating the same point twice with our introduction, but these are times when creative repetition can be superior to any attempt at subtlety or originality.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Key and especially Strong could convey depth and emotion, subtlety, and often weirdness via their small choices and close ups, defining their characters in opposition to the town’s broad-for-the-sake-of-comedy denizens.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subtlety
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subtlety
Noun
-
Maybe the mere fact of having been born illustrious, with no apparent faults, with nothing to prove or to be ashamed of, had liberated John from the resentments the rest of us feel, and from the cunning and ambition such resentments fuel.—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The Brazil international combines technical craft with a decisive cunning.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Mike Bowman, designer, furniture industry expert, and director of marketing for Harmonia Living, says this trend relies on furnishings to bring artfulness to a space—rather than just functionality.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Jan. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
The real surprise comes from the subtleness of the rose.—
Katlyn Moncada,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subtlety.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subtlety. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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