subtle
adjective · noun · verb
Simple meaning
Small and hard to notice, but still there.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
suhtuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsʌtəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Of an action or movement: very delicate or slight, and thus barely noticeable; not obvious; inconspicuous, unintrusive.
Giving only a slight impression; elusive, indistinct; also, skilfully restrained or understated.
Of an argument or concept, words, etc.: requiring one to distinguish between fine points, especially if it is difficult to do so; nice; also (generally), difficult to grasp; not easily understood or obvious.
Of an artist, a musician, etc.: having a light touch; sensitive.
Of a person: sensitive to the feelings of others; discreet, tactful.
Acting (especially causing harm) in a stealthy, often gradual, manner; insidious.
noun
People or things that are subtle (adjective sense) as a class.
verb
chiefly us
To make (something) subtle ("giving only a slight impression; also, skilfully restrained or understated").
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Of an action or movement: very delicate or slight, and thus barely noticeable; not obvious; inconspicuous, unintrusive.
Used this way, subtle is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
Share your sentence
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Collections with this word
Themed sets you can browse for free.
Use it yourself
Knowing “subtle” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.