Subtle
adjectiveSo delicate or precise as to be difficult to notice or describe.
How to spell subtle
6 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce subtle
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does subtle mean?
- adjectiveSo delicate or precise as to be difficult to notice or describe.
Subtle in a sentence
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There's a subtle difference between them.
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Her perfume had a subtle floral note.
Where does subtle come from?
Language of origin: Latin
The word comes from the Latin subtilis, which literally meant 'fine' or 'finely woven', and was originally built from sub 'under' and tela 'web' or 'woven cloth', describing thread passing under the loom to make a delicate fabric. From that image of fine weaving it came to mean 'precise', 'delicate', and then 'difficult to perceive'. English borrowed it through Old French as 'sotil' or 'subtil' in the 1200s, and at that earlier stage it was often spelled and pronounced without any b. Scholars later restored the b to mirror the Latin original, even though English speakers never pronounce it, which is exactly why the silent b in subtle catches so many writers out. The same fine-weaving root also lies behind the word 'subtlety'.
How the word is built
- subtle (from Latin subtilis: fine, delicate), retaining the silent b
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