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subtle

[suht-l] / ˈsʌt l /




Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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We come to admire Ahmad, Perlmutter and Sidhwa, but Teng provides just enough shading so that subtle cultural tensions between the men start to emerge.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 21, 2026

Even Henry Kissinger was more subtle than that.

From Salon Aug. 20, 2026

"Earlier studies often examined gentler bends or relied on external pressure, making this subtle effect difficult to separate," Iyengar said.

From Science Daily Aug. 17, 2026

On social media, leaks of impending purges often appear in subtle forms.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 10, 2026

In subtle ways they made her feel like an intruder, and she suspected they always would.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

It remains to be seen whether “Kitchen Undercover” will rely on prosthetics, fake mustaches or merely the subtler costume of the unrecognized employee.

From Salon Jul. 5, 2026

It’s a subtler way to exert leverage over the world’s most important oil chokepoint, analysts at J.P.

From MarketWatch May 19, 2026

What draws him most is subtler than that.

From BBC Apr. 29, 2026

While not in any way rabble-rousing, they wage subtler revolutions.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 8, 2026

He had left the others, not least because the stink of Jack Dandy’s cologne made finding anything subtler impossible.

From "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman

Inflation is one of the economy’s most important vital signs and one of the subtlest to measure.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 12, 2026

"Blinks are one of the subtlest of human movements, so designing mechanisms that can mimic these movements require advanced technology, such as high-precision motors," Ms Kiilavuori explains.

From BBC May 4, 2023

“Since you asked, it was the subtlest form of expression known to humans. The first novel was probably Murasaki Shikibu’s ‘Tale of Genji,’ written in the 11th century.

From New York Times May 1, 2023

“I’ll talk influences all day, because my influences only affect my music in the subtlest ways,” Wifigawd says.

From Washington Post Apr. 20, 2023

It’s people like Hoagland who call you up at odd hours of the night to tell you something you absolutely need to know, practicing on you the subtlest form of sleep deprivation.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee




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