'Subtile' definitions:
Definition of 'Subtile'
From: GCIDE
- Subtile \Sub"tile\, a. [L. subtilis. See Subtile.]
- 1. Thin; not dense or gross; rare; as, subtile air; subtile vapor; a subtile medium. [1913 Webster]
- 2. Delicately constituted or constructed; nice; fine; delicate; tenuous; finely woven. "A sotil [subtile] twine's thread." --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]
- More subtile web Arachne can not spin. --Spenser. [1913 Webster]
- I do distinguish plain Each subtile line of her immortal face. --Sir J. Davies. [1913 Webster]
- 3. Acute; piercing; searching. [1913 Webster]
- The slow disease and subtile pain. --Prior. [1913 Webster]
- 5. Characterized by nicety of discrimination; discerning; delicate; refined; subtle. [In this sense now commonly written subtle.] [1913 Webster]
- The genius of the Spanish people is exquisitely subtile, without being at all acute; hence there is so much humor and so little wit in their literature. The genius of the Italians, on the contrary, is acute, profound, and sensual, but not subtile; hence what they think to be humorous, is merely witty. --Coleridge. [1913 Webster]
- The subtile influence of an intellect like Emerson's. --Hawthorne. [1913 Webster]
- 5. Sly; artful; cunning; crafty; subtle; as, a subtile person; a subtile adversary; a subtile scheme. [In this sense now commonly written subtle.] [1913 Webster]
- Syn: Subtile, Acute.
- Usage: In acute the image is that of a needle's point; in subtile that of a thread spun out to fineness. The acute intellect pierces to its aim; the subtile (or subtle) intellect winds its way through obstacles. [1913 Webster] -- {Sub"tile*ly}, adv. -- {Sub"tile*ness}, n. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'subtile'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- acute,
- adulterated,
- air-built,
- airy,
- arch,
- artful,
- astute,
- attenuate,
- attenuated,
- Byzantine,
- cagey,
- calculating,
- canny,
- chimerical,
- clever,
- cloud-built,
- crafty,
- cunning,
- cut,
- cute,
- dainty,
- deceitful,
- deep,
- deep-laid,
- delicate,
- designing,
- devious,
- dilute,
- diluted,
- diplomatic,
- dreamlike,
- ethereal,
- fanciful,
- fatuitous,
- fatuous,
- feline,
- fine,
- flimsy,
- foxy,
- gaseous,
- gossamery,
- guileful,
- illusory,
- imaginary,
- ingenious,
- insidious,
- insubstantial,
- inventive,
- knowing,
- Machiavellian,
- Machiavellic,
- pawky,
- phantomlike,
- politic,
- rare,
- rarefied,
- ready,
- resourceful,
- scheming,
- serpentine,
- shadowy,
- sharp,
- shifty,
- shrewd,
- slick,
- slight,
- slippery,
- sly,
- smooth,
- snaky,
- sneaky,
- sophistical,
- spirituous,
- stealthy,
- strategic,
- subtle,
- supple,
- tactical,
- tenuous,
- thin,
- thinned,
- thinned-out,
- trickish,
- tricksy,
- tricky,
- uncompact,
- uncompressed,
- unreal,
- unsubstantial,
- vaporous,
- vulpine,
- wary,
- watered,
- watered-down,
- wily,
- windy