subtlety

1. The quality of being subtle.

   (countable, uncountable)The quality of being scarcely noticeable or difficult to discern. (of things)

   the subtlety of the Mona Lisa’s smile

   the quality of being difficult to detect or analyze

2. (countable, uncountable)The quality of being done in a clever way that is not obvious or not direct; the quality of being carefully thought out. (of things)

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

3. (countable, uncountable)The quality of being able to achieve one's aims through clever, delicate or indirect methods. (of people)

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

4. (countable, uncountable)The quality of being able to notice or understand things that are not obvious. (of people)

5. (countable)An instance of being subtle, a subtle thing, especially a subtle argument or distinction.

   The subtleties of this overture are often overlooked.

   1561, William Whittingham et al. (translators), Geneva Bible, Wisdom of Solomon 8.8, [S]he [Wisdom] knoweth the subtilties of wordes, and the solutions of darke sentences:

   утончённостьutončónnostʹ

6. (countable, historical)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.

7. (archaic, countable, uncountable)The quality of being clever in surreptitious or deceitful behaviour; an act or argument that shows this quality.

8. (countable, obsolete)A trick that creates a false appearance.

9. (obsolete, uncountable)The property of having a low density or thin consistency.

10. (obsolete, uncountable)The property of being able to penetrate materials easily.

1. I didn't get into those subtleties.

   ruЯ в эти тонкости не вникал.

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2. He pays attention to the subtleties.

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3. I did not delve into those subtleties.

   ruЯ в эти тонкости не вникал.

   deIch habe mich mit diesen Feinheiten nicht eingehend befasst.

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4. I cannot appreciate the subtleties of the subject.

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5. We need to pay attention to the subtleties.

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regular

• subtiltyalternative archaic