subtlety

About 1.47 uses per million words.

Meaning

1. noun The quality of being subtle. The quality of being scarcely noticeable or difficult to discern.

   the subtlety of the Mona Lisa’s smile

2. noun The quality of being scarcely noticeable or difficult to discern.

   the subtlety of the Mona Lisa’s smile

3. noun The quality of being done in a clever way that is not obvious or not direct; the quality of being carefully thought out.

   the subtlety of a writer’s analysis / of a singer’s phrasing

4. noun The quality of being able to achieve one's aims through clever, delicate or indirect methods.

   With all his usual subtlety, he quietly fixed the problem before anyone else noticed it.

5. noun The quality of being able to notice or understand things that are not obvious.
6. noun An instance of being subtle, a subtle thing, especially a subtle argument or distinction.

   The subtleties of this overture are often overlooked.

7. noun An ornate medieval illusion dish or table decoration, especially when made from one thing but crafted to look like another.

   At the king's coronation feast, several subtleties were served between main courses.

8. noun The quality of being clever in surreptitious or deceitful behaviour; an act or argument that shows this quality.

Similar words

nuance nicety niceness shade refinement finesse delicacy fineness acumen sophistication

Often followed by

of and in to that is or with which

Word family

subtleties