subtlety.

Delicacy, precision or complexity of a feature that may not be immediately obvious.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• subtlety of expression
• interpretive subtlety

On the page

The subtlety of expression became clearer when the two nearly identical passages were compared.

Interpretive subtlety required recognizing the difference between the character’s words and her situation.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Singular subtlety; plural subtleties. Also uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description, narrative analysis, characterization, contrast. Disciplines: literary analysis, prose writing, advanced general English. Commonness: moderately common.