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Tenuous vs Subtle - What's the difference?

tenuous | subtle |

As adjectives the difference between tenuous and subtle

is that tenuous is thin in substance or consistency while subtle is hard to grasp; not obvious or easily understood; barely noticeable.

tenuous

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Thin in substance or consistency.
    • The aether was thought to be of tenuous strands.
  • insubstantial
    • His argument was not convincing in the debate, considering how tenuous it was.
  • * July 18 2012 , Scott Tobias, AV Club The Dark Knight Rises [http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-dark-knight-rises-review-batman,82624/]
    • Picking up eight years after The Dark Knight left off, the film finds Gotham enjoying a tenuous peace based on Harvey Dent’s moral ideals rather than the ugly truth of his demise.

    subtle

    English

    Alternative forms

    * subtil (obsolete) * subtile (obsolete)

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Hard to grasp; not obvious or easily understood; barely noticeable.
    • The difference is subtle , but you can hear it if you listen carefully.
  • (of a thing) Cleverly contrived.
  • (of a person or animal) Cunning, skillful.
  • insidious
  • * 1623 , , act iv, scene 4,
    • Thy age confirmed, proud, subtle , bloody, treacherous.
  • Tenuous; rarefied; of low density or thin consistency.

    • Synonyms

    * crafty, cunning, skillful * (insidious) insidious

    Antonyms

    * (hard to grasp) simple

    Derived terms

    * subtle body * subtleness * subtlety * subtly

    References

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    Anagrams

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