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