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.
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.
Subtle is the most comprehensive of these epithets and implies
the finest intellectual quality. See Shrewd, and
Cunning.