Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use subtle in a sentence

40 example sentences · adjective, noun, verb

Subtle means of an action or movement: very delicate or slight, and thus barely noticeable; not obvious; inconspicuous, unintrusive. Example: “The difference between the tones is subtle, but you can hear it if you listen carefully.”

Examples of subtle by meaning

adjectiveGiving only a slight impression; elusive, indistinct; also, skilfully restrained or understated.

  • The difference between the tones is subtle, but you can hear it if you listen carefully.
  • Although the show gradually grows more subtle, much of the early writing that establishes the characters is so on the nose it hurts.2013 August 12, Stephen Bowie, “The Case against Breaking Bad”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 15 Nov 2019

adjectiveOf a person, their intellect or mind, etc.: discerning, perceptive, shrewd, wise.

  • Verloc, strolling along the streets of London, had modified Stevie's view of the police by conversations full of subtle reasonings.1906 January–October, Joseph Conrad, chapter XI, in The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale (Collection of British Authors; 3995), copyright...

More sentences with subtle

  • He flung subtle jibes at her until she couldn’t bear to work with him any longer.From the entry jibe
  • The sekere may be twisted, shaken or slapped to produce a subtle variety of effects.From the entry sekere
  • The subtle use of strings lends fluidity to the composition.From the entry lend
  • Through subtle manipulations he orchestrated the downfall of his rival.From the entry manipulation
  • Don't overaccessorize: go for a subtle look instead.From the entry overaccessorize
  • This is a subtle and harmless gesture of consideration that can still be practiced today.2025 September 8, E. J. Daniels, “How to Walk Like a Gentleman”, in Gentleman's Gazette. From the entry chivalric
  • Really love the subtle designs & patterns that you put on your crinklecritters.2024 September 16, @squeaky-succulent.bsky.social, Bluesky. From the entry crinklecritter
  • This is about as subtle as a screen door on a submarine.2023 February 28, David Axelrod, 3:57 from the start, in Axelrod calls out the 'brazenness' of DeSantis' 'non-campaign', CNN, archived…. From the entry screen door
  • Therapeutic zeal is express in a number of ways, some of them quite obvious, others subtle.2018, John W. Barnhill, Approach to the Psychiatric Patient, page 451. From the entry giveaway
  • Redacted in a subtler, more deniable way than the way Senatrix Diane Feinstein released Doctrix Ford's name.2018 October 1, Mark Spahn, “Dispositive diaries”, in Not Honyaku (Google Groups), archived from the original on 05 Jan 2026. From the entry doctrix
  • We have evolved to defend ourselves with a much subtler, gentler approach."2017 June 23, Howard Tayler, Schlock Mercenary, archived from the original on 20 Jan 2024. From the entry first strike
  • Lydiard was diagnosed shortly after new year following speech disturbance and subtle memory issues.2016 February 7, Caroline Davies, “Been anywhere nice this year? Brain surgery where patients are kept chatting”, in The Guardian. From the entry eloquent
  • He was struck by her nuances, which did not seem so subtle after all.2015, Hrishikesh Joshi, chapter 14, in Checkmate, Mumbai, Maharashtra: Frog Books, →ISBN. From the entry quaintrelle
  • With the exception of subtle perilesional enhancement, the metastases hypoenhance relative to liver in all phases.2015, Angela D. Levy, Koenraad J. Mortele, Benjamin M. Yeh, Gastrointestinal Imaging, page 424. From the entry hypoenhance
  • So you punish yourself, in subtle ways, every day, because you find yourself listening to this horsetwaddle.2015, Kenton Bartlett, “Change”, in The World Needs You (A Pep Talk), C.E. Press, →ISBN, page 387. From the entry horsetwaddle
  • When it came to food, Melissa preferred subtle nuance and lighthanded seasoning.2014, Marc Twine, Intermission: Volume 1. From the entry light-handed
  • By comparison, Key lime pie ($6.99) was a more subtle, yet utterly smackless, option.2014 July 9, Faiyaz Kara, “Cooper's Hawk is a wine-country-fied Cracker Barrel”, in Orlando Weekly. From the entry smackless
  • Such hazards are often subtler than direct physical threats, and, as a consequence, are easily overlooked.2011 August, Nick Bostrom, “Information Hazards: A Typology of Potential Harms from Knowledge”, in Review of Contemporary Philosophy…. From the entry information hazard
  • These poster girls of postfeminism exhibit highly independent attitude, or rather brattitude, with subtle racial hybridity.2011, Radha S. Hegde, Circuits of Visibility: Gender and Transnational Media Cultures, page 61. From the entry brattitude
  • Note the subtle details associated with Gothic Revival architectural styles which include trefoil and quadrefoil designs.2008, Walter Hildebrandt, Views from Fort Battleford, page 16. From the entry quadrefoil
  • The term vranyo in Russian describes the subtle collective participation people can have in deception.2007, David Shulman, From Hire to Liar: The Role of Deception in the Workplace, →ISBN, page 79. From the entry vranyo
  • McDuffie summoned a subtle glow, which was well matched by flute and clarinet soloists.2007 January 30, Steve Smith, “A Debut and a Fervent Violinist”, in New York Times. From the entry canzonetta
  • There are differences, of course, but they can be very, very subtle.2007, Jennifer Oko, Gloss, MIRA, page 164. From the entry newsbar
  • With experience, a trendwatcher becomes skilled at spotting the elusive and subtle shifts that signal fashion change.2005, Evelyn L. Brannon, Fashion forecasting. From the entry trendwatcher
  • Gem-quality olivine is known as peridot, which has a subtle green light all its own.2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 51. From the entry peridot
  • For more subtle distinctions, Sauveur suggested using Decamerides, 10 of which comprised one Eptameride.2004, J. Murray Barbour, Tuning and Temperament: A Historical Survey, →ISBN, page 122. From the entry eptameride
  • His highly subtle orchestration elevates woodwinds, more often scored soloistically than sectionally.2003, Don Michael Randel, The Harvard Dictionary of Music, page 598. From the entry trombone
  • Proximity has a subtle, yet powerful effect on our social interactions.2003, J. B. Lane, “Manage Your Personal Space”, in Wine, Dine and 69 Ways to Get Some, Trafford Publishing, →ISBN. From the entry get some
  • Some TV shows get under your skin with lovable characters or subtle writing.2003 July 28, James Poniewozik, “Body Shop”, in TIME, archived from the original on 30 Jan 2012. From the entry get under someone's skin
  • It has a subtle soury taste, the consistency is appropriately airy.2003 January 25, TsatskeMitGroysseTsitskes, “How I discovered a soufflé by accident”, in rec.food.cooking (Usenet), archived from the…. From the entry soury
  • Replacing a mass-appeal menu, the hotel's interiors now suit subtler tastes.2002 September, William Weathersby, Jr., “At the W Hotel in Times Square, Designer Yabu Pushelberg Creates Spare, Richly Textured…. From the entry bento box
  • There are, too, less subtle kinds of suggestion — the use of colour words, for instance.2001, G. E. Hollingworth, A Primer of Literary Criticism, page 27. From the entry visualist
  • Subtle, institutional discrimination was evident in the preponderance of blacks and underprivileged whites fighting the war.2000 April 17, Paul Van Slambrouck, “California’s brightest star is, well, gray”, in The Christian Science Monitor, Boston, Mass.…. From the entry preponderance
  • Debiles were incapable of subtle intellectual feelings, which Soviet psychiatry defined as duty, comradeship and satisfaction.1999, Andrew Boyd, Baroness Cox: A Voice for the Voiceless, Lion, →ISBN, page 96. From the entry debile
  • If you're paying close attention, you'll notice subtle differences in the way new 32-bit Windows programs look.1997, Ed Bott, Using Windows. From the entry what's the difference
  • These include the arrangement and number of their denticles, and subtle differences in fin size and coloration.1997, Leighton R. Taylor, Sharks and Rays, page 192. From the entry lanternshark
  • An example of a more subtle indiscretion is using an "autogreet".1996, Susan C. Herring, Computer-mediated Communication, page 50. From the entry autogreet

Meaning of subtle

  1. adjective Of an action or movement: very delicate or slight, and thus barely noticeable; not obvious; inconspicuous, unintrusive.
  2. adjective Having a delicate or fine substance or texture; hence, exquisite, refined.
  3. adjective Slender, thin.

Full definition of subtle

Questions about subtle in a sentence

How do you use subtle in a sentence?
Subtle is used as an adjective, noun and verb. For example: “The difference between the tones is subtle, but you can hear it if you listen carefully.”
What is a short sentence with subtle?
“Don't overaccessorize: go for a subtle look instead.”
What does subtle mean?
Subtle means of an action or movement: very delicate or slight, and thus barely noticeable; not obvious; inconspicuous, unintrusive.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: subtle (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use subtle in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/subtle. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.