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
This year’s lineup suggests that subtlety may carry the day, but there is always room for a little theater.
—
Oren Hartov, Robb Report, 14 Apr. 2026
There’s nothing fancy about a big, square screen that sits upstage of the circular playing area, but the subtlety in which the images and mood flows through the screen greatly enhance the storytelling.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026
These are thematically on-the-nose gestures, but Kawamura, unlike the game’s creators, doesn’t place a premium on subtlety—or, for that matter, interactivity.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2026
The subtlety feels appropriate given that the view from every balcony takes center stage.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subtlety
Oren Hartov, Robb Report, 14 Apr. 2026
There’s nothing fancy about a big, square screen that sits upstage of the circular playing area, but the subtlety in which the images and mood flows through the screen greatly enhance the storytelling.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026
These are thematically on-the-nose gestures, but Kawamura, unlike the game’s creators, doesn’t place a premium on subtlety—or, for that matter, interactivity.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2026
The subtlety feels appropriate given that the view from every balcony takes center stage.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 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
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The Brazil international combines technical craft with a decisive cunning.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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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 2 May. 2026.
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