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De - Pt| English Dictionary: subtler | by the DICT Development Group |
| 1 result for subtler | |
| From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
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Subtle \Sub"tle\, a. [Compar. {Subtler}; superl. {Subtlest}.] [OE. sotil, subtil, OF. soutil, later subtil, F. subtil, L. subtilis; probably, originally, woven fine, and fr. sub under + tela a web, fr. texere to weave. See {Text}, and cf. {Subtile}.] 1. Sly in design; artful; cunning; insinuating; subtile; -- applied to persons; as, a subtle foe. [bd]A subtle traitor.[b8] --Shak. 2. Cunningly devised; crafty; treacherous; as, a subtle stratagem. 3. Characterized by refinement and niceness in drawing distinctions; nicely discriminating; -- said of persons; as, a subtle logician; refined; tenuous; sinuous; insinuating; hence, penetrative or pervasive; -- said of the mind; its faculties, or its operations; as, a subtle intellect; a subtle imagination; a subtle process of thought; also, difficult of apprehension; elusive. Things remote from use, obscure and subtle. --Milton. 4. Smooth and deceptive. [Obs.] Like to a bowl upon a subtle ground [bowling ground]. --Shak. Syn: Artful; crafty; cunning; shrewd; sly; wily. Usage: Subtle is the most comprehensive of these epithets and implies the finest intellectual quality. See {Shrewd}, and {Cunning}. | |
