a. | 1. | Sly in design; artful; cunning; insinuating; subtile; - applied to persons; |
2. | Cunningly devised; crafty; treacherous; | |
3. | Characterized by refinement and niceness in drawing distinctions; nicely discriminating; - said of persons; | |
4. | Smooth and deceptive. |
Adj. | 1. | subtle - be difficult to detect or grasp by the mind; "his whole attitude had undergone a subtle change"; "a subtle difference"; "that elusive thing the soul" Synonyms: elusive |
2. | subtle - faint and difficult to analyze; "subtle aromas" | |
3. | subtle - able to make fine distinctions; "a subtle mind" | |
4. | subtle - working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way; "glaucoma is an insidious disease"; "a subtle poison" Synonyms: pernicious, insidious |