Subtleness vs. Subtlety — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Subtleness and Subtlety
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Compare with Definitions
Subtleness
So slight as to be difficult to detect or describe; elusive
A subtle smile.
Subtlety
The quality or state of being subtle.
Subtleness
Difficult to understand; abstruse
An argument whose subtle point was lost on her opponent.
Subtlety
Something subtle, especially a nicety of thought or a fine distinction.
Subtleness
Able to make fine distinctions
A subtle mind.
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Subtlety
(uncountable) The quality of being subtle.
Subtleness
Operating in a hidden, usually injurious way; insidious
A subtle poison.
Subtlety
(of things) The quality of being scarcely noticeable or difficult to discern.
The subtlety of the Mona Lisa’s smile
Subtleness
Characterized by skill or ingenuity; clever.
Subtlety
(of things) The quality of being done in a clever way that is not obvious or not direct; the quality of being carefully thought out.
The subtlety of a writer’s analysis / of a singer’s phrasing
Subtleness
Crafty or sly; devious.
Subtlety
(of people) The quality of being able to achieve one's aims through clever, delicate or indirect methods.
With all his usual subtlety, he quietly fixed the problem before anyone else noticed it.
Subtleness
The property of being subtle, of avoiding brute force and instead being clever or skillful.
The movie was praised for the subtleness of its themes. None of it came off as being too preachy.
Subtlety
(of people) The quality of being able to notice or understand things that are not obvious.
Subtleness
The quality or state of being subtle; subtlety.
Subtlety
(countable) An instance of being subtle, a subtle thing, especially a subtle argument or distinction.
The subtleties of this overture are often overlooked.
Subtlety
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.
Subtlety
The quality of being clever in surreptitious or deceitful behaviour; an act or argument that shows this quality.
Subtlety
A trick that creates a false appearance.
Subtlety
The property of having a low density or thin consistency.
Subtlety
The property of being able to penetrate materials easily.
Subtlety
The quality or state of being subtle, or sly; cunning; craftiness; artfulness.
The fox which lives by subtlety.
Subtlety
Nice discernment with delicacy of mental action; nicety of discrimination.
Subtlety
Something that is sly, crafty, or delusive.
Unlearned in the world's false subtleties.
Subtlety
A subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude;
Without understanding the finer nuances you can't enjoy the humor
Don't argue about shades of meaning
Subtlety
The quality of being difficult to detect or analyze;
You had to admire the subtlety of the distinctions he drew
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