subtle
adjective
[ ˈsʌt(ə)l ]
• (especially of a change or distinction) so delicate or precise as to be difficult to analyse or describe.
• "his language expresses rich and subtle meanings"
Similar:
fine,
fine-drawn,
ultra-fine,
nice,
overnice,
minute,
precise,
narrow,
tenuous,
hair-splitting,
indistinct,
indefinite,
elusive,
abstruse,
minuscule,
• making use of clever and indirect methods to achieve something.
• "he tried a more subtle approach"
• crafty; cunning.
• "the subtle fiend dissembled"
Origin:
Middle English (also in the sense ‘not easily understood’): from Old French sotil, from Latin subtilis .
