Subtlety refers to something that is delicate, refined or subtle in nature. It can also refer to a clever or indirect approach to achieving something, often with an element of deception involved.
Usage examples
The movie captivated the audience with its clever use of subtlety, allowing the characters' emotions to be conveyed through subtle gestures and glances.
The author's writing style was characterized by its subtlety, as she hinted at deeper meanings and nuances without explicitly stating them.
The chef's culinary creations were praised for their subtlety, with each dish incorporating delicate flavors and intricate textures.
The artist's painting exhibited a remarkable subtlety in its use of light and shadow, creating a mesmerizing play of colors.
The politician's speech demonstrated a skillful subtlety, as she carefully balanced her message to appeal to different groups without alienating any specific constituency.
I am glossing over a lot of subtleties of the algorithms used to do this, including e.g. how observations collected at several different times can be used to prepare an analysis. (realclimate.org)
Later that month, Mr. Kent mused aloud about there being a lack of subtlety in the debate around carbon pricing. (macleans.ca)
The joy of this stripped - back 911 is that it mixes purity of purpose with subtlety of feel, chases lap times but never at the expense of driver involvement, and that it rewards at walking pace even though it's developed to be driven flat - out for hours on end without so much as a flicker of its oil temperature gauge. (evo.co.uk)