subtle

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

Also spelled subtile

US /ˈsʌtəl/ UK /ˈsʌtl̩/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like shuttle /s/ vs /ʃ/

Freq #6414

Meanings

1

adj
So slight that it is not easy to notice.

Their whole attitude had undergone a subtle change.
2

adj
Clever at noticing or making fine distinctions.

It took a subtle mind to solve the puzzle.
3

adj
Acting in a hidden and often harmful way.

The poison had a subtle effect that no one detected at first.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · so slight that it is not... elusive

3 adj · acting in a hidden and... insidious

More delicate knotty nice tricky

Opposites

manifest obvious simple

Word family

Forms subtlersubtlestunsubtle

Derived forms outsubtleoversubtleoversubtletysubtilesubtilisesubtilistsubtilizesubtlenesssubtleshipsubtletysubtlingsubtlist

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

overly subtle
So fine, indirect, or intricate that it becomes difficult to notice or understand.

Adverb + adjective

Simplified etymology

Subtle entered Middle English through Old French sotil from Latin subtilis, “fine” or “delicate.” One of its early English senses was “not easily understood.”

Etymology

The adjective is derived from Middle English sotil, soubtil, subtil (“of a person, the mind, etc.: clever, ingenious, penetrating; cunning, sly; insidious; delicate, fine; not dense, light, thin; finely powdered; narrow, slender; etc.”), borrowed from Anglo-Norman sotel, subtil, sutil, Middle French soutil, subtil, sutil, and Old French sotil, soutil, subtil, sutil (“of an object: skilfully designed or made; delicate, fine; slender, thin; of an intangible thing: difficult to understand; of a person: discerning, shrewd; devious, sly; etc.”) (modern French subtil), from Latin subtīlis (“of textu…

*tetḱ- Proto-Indo-European sotil Middle English sotel xno soutil Middle French subtīlis Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# subtle

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈsʌtəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈsʌtl̩/
**Frequency rank:** 6414

## Meanings
1. So slight that it is not easy to notice.
2. Clever at noticing or making fine distinctions.
3. Acting in a hidden and often harmful way.

## Examples
- Their whole attitude had undergone a subtle change.
- It took a subtle mind to solve the puzzle.
- The poison had a subtle effect that no one detected at first.

## Synonyms
- delicate
- knotty
- nice
- tricky

## Antonyms
- manifest
- obvious
- simple

## Derived Forms
- outsubtle
- oversubtle
- oversubtlety
- subtile
- subtilise
- subtilist
- subtilize
- subtleness
- subtleship
- subtlety
- subtling
- subtlist

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *tetḱ-
- Root: sotil
- Root: sotel
- Root: soutil
- Root: subtīlis

## Etymology
The adjective is derived from Middle English sotil, soubtil, subtil (“of a person, the mind, etc.: clever, ingenious, penetrating; cunning, sly; insidious; delicate, fine; not dense, light, thin; finely powdered; narrow, slender; etc.”), borrowed from Anglo-Norman sotel, subtil, sutil, Middle French soutil, subtil, sutil, and Old French sotil, soutil, subtil, sutil (“of an object: skilfully designed or made; delicate, fine; slender, thin; of an intangible thing: difficult to understand; of a person: discerning, shrewd; devious, sly; etc.”) (modern French subtil), from Latin subtīlis (“of textu…

## AI Etymology
Subtle The adjective is derived from Middle English sotil, soubtil, subtil (“of a person, the mind, etc.: clever, ingenious, penetrating; cunning, sly; insidious; delicate, fine; not dense, light, thin; finely powdered; narrow, slender; etc.”), borrowed from Anglo-Norman sotel, subtil, sutil, Middle French soutil, subtil, sutil, and Old French sotil, soutil, subtil, sutil (“of an object: skilfully designed or made; delicate, fine; slender, thin; of an intangible thing: difficult to understand; of a person: discerning, shrewd; devious, sly; etc.”) (modern French subtil), from Latin subtīlis (“of textu.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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