Sample Sentences for
subtle
grouped by contextual meaning
(editor-reviewed)

subtle as in:  a subtle poison

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She is working subtly against us.
subtly = working in a way that is hard to see
Show 3 more with this contextual meaning
  • •
    It is a subtle poison. In small doses, it might never be detected, but eventually your heart will fail.
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    What if this were all a subtle trap?  (source)
    subtle = working in an indirect or hidden way
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    A poison--so subtle, so insidious . . . so irreversible. It won't even kill you unless you stop taking it.  (source)
    subtle = working in a hidden way
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Show 10 more with 4 word variations
  • •
    I can count on a few things: There aren't many Dauntless in the compound, the Dauntless aren't known for their subtlety, and I'll do anything to stop them.  (source)
    subtlety = working in an indirect or hidden way
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    There wasn't any poison, nothing as subtle as that.  (source)
    subtle = working in a hidden way
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    It was one thing to screw up a huge weapon. It was another thing to screw it up so subtly that no one noticed until it was too late.  (source)
    subtly = working in an indirect or hidden way
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    But behind that display of sleeping force were other and much subtler weapons.  (source)
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    With all the subtlety of a bulldozer I wrote my paper on the effect bipolar parents have on their children.  (source)
    subtlety = non-obvious manner
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    Then a true swamp settled deep with its low-earth smell and fusty air. Sudden, subtle, and silent all at once, it stretched into the mouth of the dark receding forest.  (source)
    subtle = working in a way that is hard to see
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    "I'd love to look around," Hana hints not-so-subtly.  (source)
    subtly = working in an indirect or hidden manner
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    But even if He defeats your first attempt at misdirection, we have a subtler weapon.  (source)
    subtler = more indirect or non-obvious thing or manner that harms
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    Kamila asked without the slightest effort at subtlety.†  (source)
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    There is a misty plot afoot so subtle we should be criminal to cling to old respects and ancient friendships.  (source)
    subtle = working in an indirect or hidden way
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subtle as in:  a subtle shade of blue

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Her warning was subtle, but unmistakable.
subtle = understated (so as not to draw attention to itself)
Show 3 more with this contextual meaning
  • •
    She likes dramatic statements, but he prefers to be subtle.
    subtle = understated so as not to draw excess attention
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    He gives me a subtle thumbs-up.  (source)
    subtle = understated so as not to draw attention to itself
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    I began to walk my avatar down the hall, using a series of subtle hand motions to control its movements and actions.  (source)
    subtle = small, nuanced
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Show 10 more with 9 word variations
  • •
    It is not bad--at first, and very gentle, but quite the subtlest, most enduring odor I ever met.  (source)
    subtlest = most understated
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    Her hair was done up with a row of yellow jewels pinned into a line across the front in a very subtle resemblance to a crown.  (source)
    subtle = not obvious, but noticeable
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    Unsubtle.†  (source)
    standard prefix: The prefix "un-" in unsubtle means not and reverses the meaning of subtle. This is the same pattern you see in words like unhappy, unknown, and unlucky.
  • •
    I try to subtly hide the cover with my hand.  (source)
    subtly = in a manner that does not draw attention
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    He had a Sompnour ready to his hand, A slier boy was none in Engleland; For subtlely he had his espiaille,* *espionage That taught him well where it might aught avail.†  (source)
    unconventional spelling: This is much more commonly spelled, subtly.
  • •
    Madame de Cintre is a supersubtle Parisian.†  (source)
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    He liked the seaweed wrapped around the sushi roll: how tough it was to chew, the subtleness of the ocean water.†  (source)
    standard suffix: The suffix "-ness" converts an adjective to a noun that means the quality of. This is the same pattern you see in words like darkness, kindness, and coolness.
  • •
    And we ourselves become somehow not ourselves, but we turn subtler, weirder, less attached to our bodies, less attached to our names.  (source)
    subtler = more understated (less obvious as individuals)
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    Thanks to their complete lack of subtlety, the whole world now knew the Jade Key must be hidden somewhere in that sector.  (source)
    subtlety = understatement (so as not to draw attention)
  • •
    She tilted her face toward him, the subtlest of movements.†  (source)
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subtle as in:  a subtle difference or thinker

Show 3 more with this contextual meaning
  • •
    She has a good eye for subtle differences in color.
    subtle = not obvious, but identifiable by someone with adequate sensitivity
  • •
    Her whole attitude had undergone a subtle change.
    subtle = not obvious, but noticeable by someone with adequate sensitivity
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    You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potionmaking,  (source)
    subtle = difficult to understand without adequate sensitivity and relevant knowledge
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Show 10 more with 6 word variations
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    It was a subtle change, hard to identify at first.  (source)
    subtle = not obvious (a barely noticeable difference)
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    Somehow, they carried the authority of middle pretties without the firm jaw, the subtly lined eyes, or the elegant clothing.  (source)
    subtly = slightly noticeable
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    ...hawk features, blue-ink eyes that suggested he was a native of Arrakis, but subtleties of movement and stance told her he was not.  (source)
    subtleties = things that are slightly noticeable
  • •
    The experience had subtler points that did not escape Rutledge.  (source)
    subtler = harder to notice or understand
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    I'd go to Monet's and write a poem or two. My first few attempts were a bit sad. Not much depth or subtlety. Pretty straightforward.  (source)
    subtlety = things that are not stated directly, but can be understood by someone with adequate sensitivity and relevant knowledge
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    It need hardly be said that the subtlest practitioners of doublethink are those who invented doublethink and know that it is a vast system of mental cheating.  (source)
    subtlest = with deepest understanding
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    But those changes are subtle and hard to measure.  (source)
    subtle = difficult to notice
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    And though his voice is the same, there's something subtly different about him.  (source)
    subtly = not obvious, but understandable by someone with adequate sensitivity and relevant knowledge
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    I believe that subtleties of feeling began to disappear until finally I was on a pleasure-pain basis.  (source)
    subtleties = things that are not obvious
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    The difference between Renesmee an hour ago and Renesmee now was subtler.  (source)
    subtler = less noticeable
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