Translation is always a treason, and as a Ming author observes, can at its best be only the reverse side of a brocade,—all the threads are there, but not the subtlety of colour or design.
Source: tatoeba (638881)
Subtlety
//ˈsʌt(ə)lti//
Synonyms for "subtlety" (267 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (54)
Noun(6 words)
nuanceabsolutenessaccuracyacquired tasteacutenessairinessairy nothinganimal cunningapparent soundnessappreciationappreciation of differencesappreciation of excellenceappreciativenessartartfulnessartificeartistic judgmentastutenessattention to detailattention to fact
Show 28 more words
bodilessnesscageynesscalliditycanninesscare for truthcasuistrychoicenesscircularitycircumstantialitycivilized tastecivilizednessclevernesscomplexitycomplexnesscomplicationconnoisseurshipconscientiousnessconvolutioncorrectnesscrabbednesscraftcraftinesscritical nicenesscriticalitycriticalnesscultivated tastecultivationculture
Strong matches (80)
cunningcunningnessdaintinessdeceptivenessdelicacydelicate distinctiondetaildeviousnessdifferentiadifferentialdiscriminating tastediscriminatingnessdiscriminationdiscriminativenessdisingenuousnessdistinctiondistortioneleganceentanglementequivocalness
Show 54 more words
equivocationetherealityevasive reasoningexactingnessexactitudeexactnessexcellenceexquisitenessfaithfulnessfallaciousnessfallacyfastidiousnessfaultlessnessfeelfeelingfidelityfine italian handfine palatefine pointfinenessfinessefinicalityfinicalnessfinickinessfinickingnessflawlessnessflimsinessfoxinessfussinessgamesmanshipgood tastegracegracefulnessgracilitygraciositygraciousnessguileguilefulnesshairlineimmaterialityimpalpabilityimponderabilityincorporealityingeniousnessinsidiousnessinsincerityinsolidityinsubstantialityintangibilityintricacyintricatenessinventivenessinvolutioninvolvement
Related words (133)
italian handjesuitismjesuitryjudiciousnessliteralismliteralityliteralnesslow cunningmaking distinctionsmarginmathematical precisionmeticulousnessminutenessmisapplicationmistinessmystificationnarrow marginnice distinctionnicenessniceness of distinction
Show 103 more words
nicetyobfuscationobscurantismone upmanshipone-upmanshipoversubtletypalateparticle of differenceparticularityparticularnesspawkinessperfectionperplexityperversionphilosophismplausibilityplausiblenesspoint of differencepolishprecisenessprecisianismprecisionprofunditypunctiliousnesspunctualityqualityquibbleramificationrarenessrarityrationalizationreadinessrefined discriminationrefined palaterefinementresourcefulnessrightrightnessrigidityrigidnessrigorrigorousnesssatanic cunningscrupulosityscrupulousnessselectivenesssensesensibilitysensitivityseverityshade of differencesharpnessshiftinessshrewdnessslicknessslightnessslipperinessslynesssneakinesssophismsophistical reasoningsophisticationsophistryspecial pleadingspeciosityspecious reasoningspeciousnessstealthstealthinessstrictnesssubtilismsubtilitysubtiltysubtle distinctionsubtlenesssupplenesstacttactfulnesstanglementtastetastefulnesstechnicalitytenuitytenuousnesstextualismthe letterthinnesstreacherytrickinessunconcretenessunrealityunsolidityunsubstantialityunsubstantialnessvaguenessvicious circlevicious reasoningwarinesswide marginwilewileswilinesswit
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
6 entriesSynonyms
1 entriesderived from
1 entriesis a
1 entriesrelated to
4 entriesTranslations
52 translations across 18 languages.
Asturian
2 entries- sutileza noun (quality or act of being subtle)
- sutileza noun (an instance of being subtle)
Catalan
1 entries- subtilesa noun (quality or act of being subtle)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 微妙 noun (quality or act of being subtle)
Czech
4 entries- decentnost noun (quality or act of being subtle)
- delikátnost noun (quality or act of being subtle)
- jemnost noun (quality or act of being subtle)
- jemnůstka noun (an instance of being subtle)
Finnish
1 entries- hienovaraisuus noun (quality or act of being subtle)
French
3 entries- entremets noun (illusion food)
- subtilité noun (quality or act of being subtle)
- subtilité noun (an instance of being subtle)
Galician
2 entries- sutileza noun (quality or act of being subtle)
- sutileza noun (an instance of being subtle)
German
4 entries- Feinheit noun (quality or act of being subtle)
- Feinsinn noun (quality or act of being subtle)
- Feinsinnigkeit noun (quality or act of being subtle)
- Geschicklichkeit noun (quality or act of being subtle)
Greek
1 entries- λεπτότητα noun (quality or act of being subtle)
Italian
1 entries- sottigliezza noun (quality or act of being subtle)
Japanese
1 entries- 微妙 noun (quality or act of being subtle)
Latin
2 entries- argūtiae noun (quality or act of being subtle)
- subtīlitās noun (quality or act of being subtle)
Polish
3 entries- delikatność noun (quality or act of being subtle)
- subtelność noun (quality or act of being subtle)
- subtelność noun (an instance of being subtle)
Portuguese
4 entries- subtileza noun (quality or act of being subtle)
- subtileza noun (an instance of being subtle)
- sutileza noun (quality or act of being subtle)
- sutileza noun (an instance of being subtle)
Russian
2 entries- то́нкость noun (quality or act of being subtle)
- утончённость noun (an instance of being subtle)
Spanish
4 entries- delicadeza noun (quality or act of being subtle)
- sutileza noun (quality or act of being subtle)
- sutileza noun (an instance of being subtle)
- sutilidad noun (quality or act of being subtle)
Swedish
3 entries- finess noun (an instance of being subtle)
- subtilitet noun (quality or act of being subtle)
- subtilitet noun (an instance of being subtle)
Turkish
4 entries- anlaşılmazlık noun (quality or act of being subtle)
- incelik noun (quality or act of being subtle)
- kurnazlık noun (quality or act of being subtle)
- ustalık noun (quality or act of being subtle)
Sample sentences
36 total sentences available.
Even those who have renounced Christianity and attack it, in their inmost being still follow the Christian ideal, for hitherto neither their subtlety nor the ardor of their hearts has been able to create a higher ideal of man and of virtue than the ideal given by Christ.
Source: tatoeba (918780)
The subtlety of this modern empire building puts the Roman centurions, the Spanish conquistadors, and the (...) European colonial powers to shame. Today we do not carry swords. We do not wear armor or clothes that set us apart. (...) It is how the system works. We seldom resort to anything illegal because the system itself is built on subterfuge, and the system is by definition legitimate.
Source: tatoeba (3391032)
Subtlety never was your strong suit.
Source: tatoeba (3633502)
Showing 4 of 36 available sentences.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.