subtle

Bridgezipf 4.08

Pronunciation

/ˈsʌtl/(SUT-ul)

Part of speech

adjectiveneutral

Chinese

微妙的；难以察觉的；巧妙的

Definition

So delicate or precise as to be hard to notice or describe; showing clever indirectness.

Word family

  • subtlety/ˈsʌtlti/(n)微妙之处
  • subtly/ˈsʌtli/(adv)微妙地

Collocations

  • subtle difference
  • subtle hint
  • subtle change
  • subtle flavor

Examples

  1. 1.There's a subtle difference between "affect" and "effect." (hard to notice)
  2. 2.She gave him a subtle hint that it was time to leave. (indirect)
  3. 3.The perfume has a subtle floral scent. (delicate)

Synonyms

  • nuanced/ˈnjuːɑːnst/— rich in fine distinctions
  • understated/ˌʌndəˈsteɪtɪd/— deliberately restrained
  • faint/feɪnt/— weak, barely perceptible — only for physical things

Etymology

from Latin "subtilis" = finely woven ("sub" = under + "tela" = web)