01 a. Thin; not dense or gross; rare; as, subtile air; subtile vapor; a subtile medium.
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1.
Thin; not dense or gross; rare; as, subtile air; subtile vapor; a subtile medium.
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2.
Delicately constituted or constructed; nice; fine; delicate; tenuous; finely woven.“More subtile web Arachne can not spin.” — Spenser.“I do distinguish plain Each subtile line of her immortal face.” — Sir J. Davies.
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3.
Acute; piercing; searching.“The slow disease and subtile pain.” — Prior.
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4.
Characterized by nicety of discrimination; discerning; delicate; refined; subtle.“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.“The subtile influence of an intellect like Emerson's.” — Hawthorne.
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5.
Sly; artful; cunning; crafty; subtle; as, a subtile person; a subtile adversary; a subtile scheme.
Syn.
Subtile, Acute.
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.