Subtlest

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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. "A subtle traitor."
        --Shak.
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     2. Cunningly devised; crafty; treacherous; as, a subtle
        stratagem.
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     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.
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              Things remote from use, obscure and subtle.
                                                    --Milton.
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     4. Smooth and deceptive. [Obs.]
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              Like to a bowl upon a subtle ground [bowling
              ground].                              --Shak.
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     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}.
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