Antonyms for subtle
ˈsʌt lsub·tle

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:2.5 / 2 votes

1. subtleadjective

   Hard to grasp; not obvious or easily understood; barely noticeable.

   The difference is subtle, but you can hear it if you listen carefully.

   Antonyms:
   simple

2. subtleadjective

   Cunning, skillful.

   Synonyms:
   cunning, crafty, skillful

3. subtleadjective

   insidious

   Synonyms:
   insidious

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.0 / 3 votes

1. subtle

   Acute, from the Latin, suggests the sharpness of the needle's point; keen, from the Saxon, the sharpness of the cutting edge. Astute, from the Latin, with the original sense of cunning has come to have a meaning that combines the sense of acute or keen with that of sagacious. The astute mind adds to acuteness and keenness an element of cunning or finesse. The astute debater leads his opponents into a snare by getting them to make admissions, or urge arguments, of which he sees a result that they do not perceive. The acute, keen intellect may take no special advantage of these qualities; the astute mind has always a point to make for itself, and seldom fails to make it. A knowing look, air, etc., in general indicates practical knowledge with a touch of shrewdness, and perhaps of cunning; in regard to some special matter, it indicates the possession of reserved knowledge which the person could impart if he chose. Knowing has often a slightly invidious sense. We speak of a knowing rascal, meaning cunning or shrewd within a narrow range, but of a knowing horse or dog, in the sense of sagacious, implying that he knows more than could be expected of such an animal. A knowing child has more knowledge than would be looked for at his years, perhaps more than is quite desirable, while to speak of a child as intelligent is altogether complimentary.

   Antonyms:
   blind, dull, idiotic, imbecile, shallow, short-sighted, stolid, stupid, undiscerning, unintelligent

   Synonyms:
   acute, astute, clear-sighted, crafty, cunning, discerning, discriminating, keen, knowing, penetrating, penetrative, perspicacious, sagacious, sharp, shrewd, subtile

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.3 / 3 votes

1. subtle

   Antonyms:
   open, frank, honest, artless, undiscriminating, rough, blunt, undiscerning, unsophisticated, simple

   Synonyms:
   sly, artful, cunning, insinuating, wily, astute, nice, discriminating, crafty, fine, shrewd, sophistical, jesuitical

Princeton's WordNetRate these antonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. elusive, subtleadjective

   difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze

   "his whole attitude had undergone a subtle change"; "a subtle difference"; "that elusive thing the soul"

   Antonyms:
   tangible, unperceptive, harmless, palpable, unperceiving

   Synonyms:
   pernicious, baffling, problematic, knotty, tough, insidious, elusive, problematical

2. subtleadjective

   able to make fine distinctions

   "a subtle mind"

   Antonyms:
   tangible, harmless, palpable, unperceptive, unperceiving

   Synonyms:
   insidious, elusive, pernicious

3. insidious, pernicious, subtleadjective

   working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way

   "glaucoma is an insidious disease"; "a subtle poison"

   Antonyms:
   unperceiving, tangible, unperceptive, harmless, palpable

   Synonyms:
   pestilent, elusive, baneful, pernicious, insidious, deadly

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. subtleadjective

   Synonyms:
   artful, cunning, sly, designing, crafty, refined, discriminating

How to use subtle in a sentence?

1. Nick Longrich:

   The fossil record is incomplete enough that if you’re in a new area or a new time, there’s a fair chance that the dinosaurs there are going to be distinct, Steven Jasinski said. For instance, scientists might discover a toe from a brand new species, but such subtle differences may be unrecognizable or impossible to prove. [ T ] hings that we call separate species today would be very, very hard to tell apart based on their skeleton( crow versus raven, for example).

2. Zac Moffatt:

   We just have a small community, i don't get why operatives take shots at each other through candidates. It should at least be subtle if you do it.

3. Christine Lagarde:

   That's the moment which I think is the most difficult, the most subtle, and where judgment will have to be applied.

4. Art Shamsky:

   Baseball is a very subtle game in a lot of ways, sure, there's run, throw, hit, pitch and field. But there are parts of the game you learn playing Little League or in high school. They didn't have that.

5. Lisa Lerer:

   She embraced key portions of his legacy -- coming out strong for the health care law, for his push for immigration legislation -- but it wasn't all sunshine and light, she also took subtle digs at his leadership style— she said America was on the wrong track-- I can't believe I'm saying this but at times she sounded almost like a Republican.

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