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subtle - 20 thesaurus results
| Main Entry: | subtle |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | nice, quiet, delicate |
| Synonyms: | attenuate, deep, discriminating, ethereal, exquisite, faint, fine, hairsplitting, illusive, implied, inconspicuous, indirect, indistinct, ingenious, mental, penetrating, profound, refined, slight, sophisticated, suggestive, tenuous, thin, attenuated, finespun, hairline, inferred, insinuated, understated |
| Antonyms: | hard, harsh, noisy, unsubtle |
| Main Entry: | subtle |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | clever, cunning |
| Synonyms: | analytical, artful, astute, complex, crafty, deep, designing, detailed, devious, dexterous, exacting, foxy, insidious, intriguing, keen, penetrating, perceptive, precise, scheming, shrewd, skillful, sly, wily, analytic, guileful, ratiocinative |
| Antonyms: | forthright, honest, open |
| Main Entry: | abstruse |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | difficult to understand |
| Synonyms: | abstract, complex, complicated, deep, enigmatic, esoteric, heavy*, hidden, incomprehensible, intricate, involved, muddy, obscure, perplexing, profound, puzzling, recondite, subtle, unfathomable, vague, Greek to me, clear as dishwater |
| Antonyms: | clear, concrete, easy, lucid, obvious, plain, simple |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | analytic/analytical |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | examining and determining |
| Synonyms: | cogent, conclusive, detailed, diagnostic, discrete, explanatory, expository, inquiring, inquisitive, judicious, logical, organized, penetrating, perceptive, perspicuous, precise, questioning, rational, reasonable, scientific, searching, solid, sound, studious, subtle, systematic, testing, thorough, valid, well-grounded, dissecting, interpretive, investigative, problem-solving, ratiocinative |
| Main Entry: | canny |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | clever, artful |
| Synonyms: | able, acute, adroit, astute, cagey, careful, cautious, circumspect, cunning, dexterous, discreet, foxy*, frugal, ingenious, intelligent, judicious, knowing, perspicacious, prudent, quick, quick-witted, sagacious, shrewd, skillful, slick, slippery*, sly, smart, smooth*, street smart*, subtle, wary, watchful, wise, with it*, worldly-wise, having fancy footwork, hep, nimble-witted, streetwise |
| Antonyms: | foolish, inept, silly |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | crafty |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | clever, scheming |
| Synonyms: | adroit, artful, astute, cagey, calculating, canny, cunning, deceitful, deep, designing, devious, disingenuous, duplicitous, foxy*, fraudulent, insidious, intelligent, keen, knowing, sharp, shrewd, slick, slippery*, sly, smart, smooth, street smart*, subtle, tricky, vulpine, wily, crazy like fox, guileful, streetwise |
| Antonyms: | honest, naive, unclever |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | deceitful |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | dishonest, insincere |
| Synonyms: | artful, astute, clandestine, counterfeit, crafty, cunning, deceptive, delusive, designing, disingenuous, double-dealing, duplicitous, fallacious, false, feline, foxy, fraudulent, furtive, hypocritical, illusory, indirect, insidious, knavish, lying, mendacious, misleading, rascal, roguish, shifty, slick, sly, sneaky, stealthy, subtle, treacherous, tricky, two-faced*, underhand, underhanded, untrustworthy, untruthful, wily, astucious, beguiling, deceiving, delusory, guileful, impostrous |
| Notes: | deceitful means intended to deceive or cheat while deceptive means causing one to believe what is not true or likely to mislead someone |
| Antonyms: | faithful, frank, honest, loyal, open, sincere, trustworthy, truthful, upright |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | deceptive |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | dishonest |
| Synonyms: | ambiguous, bum*, catchy, crafty, cunning, deceitful, delusive, designing, disingenuous, fake, fallacious, false, fishy, foxy, fraudulent, illusory, indirect, insidious, lying, misleading, mock, oblique, off*, phony, plausible, rascal, roguish, scheming, seeming, serpentine, shifty, slick, slippery, sly, sneaky, snide, specious, spurious, subtle, treacherous, tricky, two-faced*, underhand, underhanded, unreliable, wily, astucious, beguiling, deceiving, deluding, delusory, imposturous |
| Antonyms: | forthright, frank, honest, open, truthful, upright |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | diplomatic |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | politic, tactful |
| Synonyms: | adept, arch, artful, astute, bland, brainy, cagey, calculating, capable, clever, conciliatory, courteous, crafty, cunning, deft, delicate, dexterous, discreet, gracious, intriguing, polite, prudent, savvy, scheming, sensitive, sharp, shrewd, sly, smooth, strategic, suave, subtle, wily, conniving, contriving, guileful, opportunistic |
| Antonyms: | artless, impolite, rude, tactless |
| Main Entry: | discerning |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | discriminating |
| Synonyms: | acute, astute, bright, brilliant, clever, critical, ingenious, insightful, intelligent, judicious, knowing, knowledgeable, penetrating, perceptive, perspicacious, piercing, sagacious, sage, sensitive, sharp, shrewd, subtle, wise, clear-sighted, gnostic, insighted, percipient |
| Antonyms: | neglectful, negligent, disregardful, overlooking, undiscerning, undiscriminating |
| Main Entry: | elusive |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | evasive, mysterious |
| Synonyms: | ambiguous, baffling, cagey, deceitful, deceptive, equivocal, evanescent, fallacious, fleeting, fraudulent, fugitive, greasy, illusory, incomprehensible, insubstantial, intangible, misleading, occult, phantom, puzzling, shifty, shy, slippery, subtle, transient, transitory, tricky, volatile, difficult to catch, elusory, fugacious, imponderable, indefinable, stonewalling, unspecific |
| Antonyms: | confronting, facing, inviting, attracting, encountering, enticing |
| Main Entry: | ethereal |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | delicate, heavenly |
| Synonyms: | aerial, airy, celestial, dainty, divine, empyrean, exquisite, fairy, filmy, fine, gaseous, ghostly, gossamer, impalpable, insubstantial, intangible, light, rarefied, refined, spiritual, sublime, subtle, supernal, tenuous, unearthly, unsubstantial, unworldly, vaporous, empyreal, vapory |
| Antonyms: | earthly, indelicate, worldly |
| Main Entry: | foxy |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | shrewd |
| Synonyms: | artful, astute, canny, crafty, cunning, deceitful, deep, devious, dishonest, experienced, insidious, intelligent, knowing, sharp, slick, sly, subtle, tricky, vulpine, wily, guileful, retiary |
| Antonyms: | naive, unintelligent, unclever, unsmart |
| Main Entry: | imperceptible |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | hard to sense; faint |
| Synonyms: | ephemeral, evanescent, fine, gradual, impalpable, inaudible, inconspicuous, indiscernible, indistinct, indistinguishable, infinitesimal, insensible, insignificant, invisible, microscopic, minute, momentary, shadowy, slight, small, subtle, tiny, trivial, vague, imponderable, inappreciable, inconsiderable, undetectable, unnoticeable |
| Antonyms: | apparent, conspicuous, distinct, evident, noticeable, obvious, perceptible, striking, seeable, unobscured |
| Main Entry: | inconspicuous |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | hidden, unnoticeable |
| Synonyms: | camouflaged, concealed, dim, faint, hidden, indistinct, insignificant, low-key*, modest, ordinary, plain, quiet, retiring, secretive, shy, subtle, tenuous, unassuming, unobtrusive, low-profile, muted, soft-pedalled, unemphatic, unostentatious |
| Antonyms: | conspicuous, exposed, noticeable, open, unhidden |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | indescribable |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | beyond words |
| Synonyms: | impossible, ineffable, nondescript, sublime, subtle, unspeakable, incommunicable, indefinable, inexpressible, untellable, unutterable |
| Antonyms: | definable, explainable, describable |
| Main Entry: | ingenious |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | clever; brilliant |
| Synonyms: | able, adroit, artistic, bright, canny, crafty, creative, cunning, dexterous, gifted, imaginative, innovative, intelligent, inventive, original, ready, resourceful, shrewd, skillful, sly, subtle, deviceful, innovational, innovatory |
| Antonyms: | awkward, dumb, ignorant, incompetent, inept, stupid |
| Main Entry: | insidious |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | sneaky, tricky |
| Synonyms: | Machiavellian, artful, astute, corrupt, crafty, crooked, cunning, dangerous, deceitful, deceptive, deep, designing, dishonest, disingenuous, duplicitous, false, foxy, intriguing, perfidious, perilous, secret, slick, sly, smooth, snaky*, stealthy, subtle, surreptitious, treacherous, wily, wormlike, ensnaring, guileful, like a snake in the grass, sneaking |
| Antonyms: | fair, honest, open, sincere |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | logical |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | probable, reasonable |
| Synonyms: | analytical, clear, cogent, coherent, compelling, congruent, consequent, consistent, convincing, deducible, discerning, discriminating, fair, germane, inferential, intelligent, judicious, justifiable, kosher*, legitimate, lucid, necessary, obvious, perceptive, perspicuous, pertinent, plausible, rational, relevant, sensible, sound, subtle, telling, valid, wise, analytic, commonsensical, extensional, holding together, holding water, juridicious, legit, most likely, well-organized |
| Antonyms: | illogical, improbable, irrational, unlikely, unreasonable |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | low-key |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | subdued |
| Synonyms: | easygoing, laid-back*, loose, muffled, quiet, restrained, sober, subtle, low-pitched, muted, played down, relaxed, soft-sell, softened, toned down, understated |
| Antonyms: | high-strung, nervous, energized, high-key, pumped up |
* = informal/non-formal usage
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
