2 meanings, 8 uses
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1 —1 use as in:
a subtle poison
Definition
working in an indirect or hidden way
- Some were shamelessly open, some shamelessly subtle.
subtle = working in an indirect or hidden way
There are no more uses of "subtle" flagged with this meaning in Black Like Me.
Typical Usage
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2 —1 use as in:
a subtle difference or thinker
Definition
not obvious, but understandable by someone with adequate sensitivity and relevant knowledge (perhaps depending upon fine distinctions)
or:
capable of understanding things that require sensitivity and relevant knowledge (perhaps understanding fine distinctions)
or:
capable of understanding things that require sensitivity and relevant knowledge (perhaps understanding fine distinctions)
- The experience had subtler points that did not escape Rutledge.
subtler = harder to notice or understand
There are no more uses of "subtle" flagged with this meaning in Black Like Me.
Typical Usage
(best examples)
? —6 uses
exact meaning not specified
- The subtlety of it escaped the whites on the bus, but it in no way escaped the driver or the Negroes at the back.
- I realized I was "going against the race" and the subtle tug-of-war became instantly clear.
- Tragedy turned him into one of the subtlest and sharpest satirists in American letters.
- Yet here the tone was subtly conniving.
- We had engaged in a subtle battle of which I think he had only then become aware.
- For a moment I knew the intimate and subtle joys of misery.
There are no more uses of "subtle" in Black Like Me.
Typical Usage
(best examples)