See subtlety on Wiktionary
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"text": "the subtlety of the Mona Lisa’s smile",
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"ref": "1964, Saul Bellow, Herzog, New York: Viking Press, pages 248–249:",
"text": "[…] he had a lifetime of skill in interpreting his father’s gestures: those bent knees meant that something of great subtlety was about to be revealed.",
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"text": "the subtlety of a writer’s analysis / of a singer’s phrasing",
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"ref": "1996, “Stinkfist”, performed by Tool:",
"text": "Something kinda sad about\nThe way that things have come to be\nDesensitized to everything\nWhat became of subtlety?\nHow can this mean anything to me\nIf I really don't feel anything at all?",
"type": "quote"
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"text": "With all his usual subtlety, he quietly fixed the problem before anyone else noticed it.",
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"text": "European women often boss their men too, but with a beguiling subtlety unknown to most American females.",
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"ref": "1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 1:4:",
"text": "To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.",
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{
"ref": "1770, Oliver Goldsmith, The Life of Henry St. John, Lord Viscount Bolingbroke, London: T. Davies, page 7:",
"text": "his subtilty in thinking and reasoning were profound,",
"type": "quote"
}
],
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"The quality of being able to notice or understand things that are not obvious. (of people)"
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{
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"text": "The subtleties of this overture are often overlooked.",
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{
"text": "1561, William Whittingham et al. (translators), Geneva Bible, Wisdom of Solomon 8.8,\n[…] she [Wisdom] knoweth the subtilties of wordes, and the solutions of darke sentences:"
},
{
"ref": "1661, Robert Boyle, “Physiological Considerations Touching the Experiments Wont to be Employed to Evince either the IV Peripatetick Elements, or the III Chymical Principls of Mixt Bodies. Part of the First Dialogue.”, in The Sceptical Chymist: or Chymico-physical Doubts & Paradoxes, […], London: […] J. Cadwell for J. Crooke, […], →OCLC, pages 14–15:",
"text": "For I, and no doubt You, have long obſerved, that thoſe Dialectical ſubtleties, that the Schoolmen too often employ about Phyſiological Myſteries, are vvont much more to declare the vvit of him that uſes them, then increaſe the knovvledge or remove the doubts of ſober lovers of truth. And such captious ſubtleties do indeed often puzzle and ſometimes ſilence men, but rarely ſatisfy them.",
"type": "quote"
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{
"ref": "1779, David Hume, Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, Part 10, p. 112:",
"text": "It is your turn now […] to support your philosophical subtilties against the dictates of plain reason and experience.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1886 May – 1887 April, Thomas Hardy, chapter VI, in The Woodlanders […], volume II, London; New York, N.Y.: Macmillan and Co., published 1887, →OCLC, page 104:",
"text": "She could not explain the subtleties of her feeling as clearly as he could state his opinion, even though she had skill in speech, and her father had none.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1952 September 19, John Steinbeck, chapter 36, in East of Eden, New York, N.Y.: The Viking Press, →OCLC, book 4, page 422:",
"text": "His body was as insensitive to pain as was his mind to subtleties.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2023 September 4, Peter Bradshaw, “Evil Does Not Exist review – Ryu Hamaguchi’s enigmatic eco-parable eschews easy explanation”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:",
"text": "Most cinema signposts everything and—to quote the phrase apocryphically attributed to Billy Wilder—makes everything obvious, especially the subtleties.",
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}
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"sense": "an instance of being subtle",
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"code": "cs",
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"tags": [
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"code": "cs",
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"sense": "an instance of being subtle",
"tags": [
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"word": "jemnůstka"
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"code": "gl",
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"sense": "an instance of being subtle",
"tags": [
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"word": "sutileza"
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"code": "pl",
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"sense": "an instance of being subtle",
"tags": [
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],
"word": "subtelność"
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"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "an instance of being subtle",
"tags": [
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"feminine"
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"word": "sutileza"
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{
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"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "an instance of being subtle",
"tags": [
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"word": "subtileza"
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{
"_dis1": "17 17 17 17 22 1 7 1 1 1",
"code": "ru",
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"roman": "utončónnostʹ",
"sense": "an instance of being subtle",
"tags": [
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"word": "утончённость"
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{
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"code": "es",
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"tags": [
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"code": "sv",
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"sense": "an instance of being subtle",
"word": "finess"
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"text": "At the king's coronation feast, several subtleties were served between main courses.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1548, Edward Hall, “The triumphaunt reigne of Kyng Henry the .VIII.”, in The Union of the Two Noble and Illustre Famelies of Lancastre [and] Yorke, London: Richard Grafton:",
"text": "the seruice […] was sumpteous, with many subtleties, straunge deuises, with seuerall poses, and many deintie dishes.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"An ornate medieval illusion dish or table decoration, especially when made from one thing but crafted to look like another."
],
"id": "en-subtlety-en-noun-CFsgrsxC",
"raw_glosses": [
"(countable, historical) An ornate medieval illusion dish or table decoration, especially when made from one thing but crafted to look like another."
],
"tags": [
"countable",
"historical"
]
},
{
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"examples": [
{
"ref": "1575, George Gascoigne, “Termes generall of the huntesman, in hunting of any chase”, in The Noble Arte of Venerie of Hunting, London: Christopher Barker, page 243:",
"text": "When eyther Hare or Deare, or any other chase vseth subtleties to deceyue the houndes, we saye they crosse or double.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"english": "The New Arcadia",
"ref": "c. 1580 (date written), Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the folio)”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: […] [John Windet] for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC:",
"text": "[She] resolued now with plainnesse to winne trust, which trust she might after deceyue with a greater subtletie.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Corinthians 11:3:",
"text": "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1715–1720, Homer, translated by Alexander Pope, “(please specify the book of the Iliad or chapter quoted from)”, in The Iliad of Homer, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC, page 136:",
"text": "[…] the Spy was deceiv’d rather by the Art and Subtlety of Ulysses, than by his Falshood.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1817 (date written), [Jane Austen], chapter X, in Persuasion; published in Northanger Abbey: And Persuasion. […], volume (please specify |volume=III or IV), London: John Murray, […], 20 December 1817 (indicated as 1818), →OCLC, page 220:",
"text": "Mr. Elliot’s subtleties, in endeavouring to prevent [the marriage]",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"The quality of being clever in surreptitious or deceitful behaviour; an act or argument that shows this quality."
],
"id": "en-subtlety-en-noun-aY3zyd3T",
"links": [
[
"clever",
"clever"
],
[
"surreptitious",
"surreptitious"
],
[
"deceitful",
"deceitful"
],
[
"behaviour",
"behaviour"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(uncountable, countable, archaic) The quality of being clever in surreptitious or deceitful behaviour; an act or argument that shows this quality."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "artifice"
},
{
"word": "craftiness"
},
{
"word": "cunning"
},
{
"word": "deceitfulness"
},
{
"word": "slyness"
},
{
"word": "trickery"
}
],
"tags": [
"archaic",
"countable",
"uncountable"
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:",
"text": "You doe yet taste\nSome subtleties o’ th’ Isle, that will not let you\nBeleeue things certaine:",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A trick that creates a false appearance."
],
"id": "en-subtlety-en-noun-H2ZJiEyw",
"links": [
[
"trick",
"trick"
],
[
"false",
"false"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(countable, obsolete) A trick that creates a false appearance."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "deception"
},
{
"word": "illusion"
}
],
"tags": [
"countable",
"obsolete"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "4 4 4 4 2 26 11 45 1 0",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "illusion food",
"word": "entremets"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"text": "1630, Thomas Johnson (translator/editor), A Treatise of the Plague […] Collected out of the workes of […] Ambrose Parey, London, Chapter 11, p. 33,\nTherefore at Paris where naturally, and also through the aboundance of filth that is about the Citie, the Aire is darke and grosse, the pestilent Infection is lesse fierce and contagious then it is in Prouince, for the subtletie of the Aire stimulates or helps forward the Plague."
},
{
"ref": "1692, Robert Boyle, General Heads for the Natural History of a Country Great or Small Drawn Out for the Use of Travellers and Navigators, London: John Tailor and S. Hedford, page 3:",
"text": "About the Air is to be considered, its Temperature as to Heat, Dryness and Moisture, and the Measures of them, its Weight, Clearness, Refractive Power, its Subtilty or Grosness […]",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"The property of having a low density or thin consistency."
],
"id": "en-subtlety-en-noun-ZwrU2wIE",
"links": [
[
"property",
"property"
],
[
"density",
"density"
],
[
"consistency",
"consistency"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(uncountable, obsolete) The property of having a low density or thin consistency."
],
"tags": [
"obsolete",
"uncountable"
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
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"ref": "1760, John Wesley, The Desideratum; or, Electricity Made Plain and Useful, London, pages 37–38:",
"text": "Hence we see the amazing Subtlety of this Fire, which pervades Glass as readily as if nothing were in the Way.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"The property of being able to penetrate materials easily."
],
"id": "en-subtlety-en-noun-E51v-5Wb",
"links": [
[
"property",
"property"
],
[
"penetrate",
"penetrate"
],
[
"material",
"material"
]
],
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"(uncountable, obsolete) The property of being able to penetrate materials easily."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "penetrancy"
},
{
"word": "piercingness"
}
],
"tags": [
"obsolete",
"uncountable"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈsʌt(ə)lti/"
},
{
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],
"synonyms": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0",
"tags": [
"archaic"
],
"word": "subtilty"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "ast",
"lang": "Asturian",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "sutileza"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "subtilesa"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "wēimiào",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"word": "微妙"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "jemnost"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "prchavost"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "delikátnost"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "decentnost"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"word": "hienovaraisuus"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"word": "subtilité"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "gl",
"lang": "Galician",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "sutileza"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Geschicklichkeit"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Feinheit"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Feinsinn"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Feinsinnigkeit"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Raffinesse"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Raffiniertheit"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Scharfsinn"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Scharfsinnigkeit"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Subtilität"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Zartheit"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "leptótita",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "λεπτότητα"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "sottigliezza"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"alt": "びみょう",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "bimyō",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"word": "微妙"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "la",
"lang": "Latin",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine",
"plural"
],
"word": "argūtiae"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "la",
"lang": "Latin",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "subtīlitās"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "subtelność"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "delikatność"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"Brazil",
"feminine"
],
"word": "sutileza"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"Portugal"
],
"word": "subtileza"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "tónkostʹ",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "то́нкость"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "delicadeza"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "sutileza"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "sutilidad"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"word": "subtilitet"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"word": "incelik"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"word": "kurnazlık"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"word": "zekilik"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"word": "ustalık"
},
{
"_dis1": "20 20 20 20 4 0 15 0 0 0",
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"word": "anlaşılmazlık"
}
],
"wikipedia": [
"subtlety"
],
"word": "subtlety"
}
{
"categories": [
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"English doublets",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English nouns",
"English terms derived from Latin",
"English terms derived from Middle English",
"English terms derived from Old French",
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"English uncountable nouns",
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"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries",
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"Terms with Catalan translations",
"Terms with Czech translations",
"Terms with Finnish translations",
"Terms with French translations",
"Terms with Galician translations",
"Terms with German translations",
"Terms with Greek translations",
"Terms with Italian translations",
"Terms with Japanese translations",
"Terms with Latin translations",
"Terms with Mandarin translations",
"Terms with Polish translations",
"Terms with Portuguese translations",
"Terms with Russian translations",
"Terms with Spanish translations",
"Terms with Swedish translations",
"Terms with Turkish translations",
"en:Foods"
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "sotilte"
},
"expansion": "Middle English sotilte",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "fro",
"3": "sutilté"
},
"expansion": "Old French sutilté",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "la",
"3": "subtīlitās"
},
"expansion": "Latin subtīlitās",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "subtle",
"3": "ty"
},
"expansion": "subtle + -ty",
"name": "suffix"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "subtility"
},
"expansion": "Doublet of subtility",
"name": "doublet"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From Middle English sotilte, from Old French sutilté, inherited from Latin subtīlitās, from subtīlis (“subtle”). Equivalent to subtle + -ty. Doublet of subtility.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "subtleties",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "~"
},
"expansion": "subtlety (countable and uncountable, plural subtleties)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"English terms with usage examples",
"English uncountable nouns"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "the subtlety of the Mona Lisa’s smile",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1964, Saul Bellow, Herzog, New York: Viking Press, pages 248–249:",
"text": "[…] he had a lifetime of skill in interpreting his father’s gestures: those bent knees meant that something of great subtlety was about to be revealed.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"The quality of being subtle.",
"The quality of being scarcely noticeable or difficult to discern. (of things)"
],
"links": [
[
"subtle",
"subtle"
],
[
"noticeable",
"noticeable"
],
[
"discern",
"discern"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(uncountable) The quality of being subtle.",
"The quality of being scarcely noticeable or difficult to discern. (of things)"
],
"tags": [
"countable",
"uncountable"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"English terms with usage examples",
"English uncountable nouns"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "the subtlety of a writer’s analysis / of a singer’s phrasing",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1996, “Stinkfist”, performed by Tool:",
"text": "Something kinda sad about\nThe way that things have come to be\nDesensitized to everything\nWhat became of subtlety?\nHow can this mean anything to me\nIf I really don't feel anything at all?",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"The quality of being subtle.",
"The quality of being done in a clever way that is not obvious or not direct; the quality of being carefully thought out. (of things)"
],
"links": [
[
"subtle",
"subtle"
],
[
"clever",
"clever"
],
[
"obvious",
"obvious"
],
[
"direct",
"direct"
],
[
"carefully",
"carefully"
],
[
"thought out",
"thought out"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(uncountable) The quality of being subtle.",
"The quality of being done in a clever way that is not obvious or not direct; the quality of being carefully thought out. (of things)"
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "refinement"
}
],
"tags": [
"countable",
"uncountable"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"English terms with usage examples",
"English uncountable nouns",
"Quotation templates to be cleaned"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "With all his usual subtlety, he quietly fixed the problem before anyone else noticed it.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1979, William Styron, chapter 3, in Sophie’s Choice, New York: Random House, page 74:",
"text": "European women often boss their men too, but with a beguiling subtlety unknown to most American females.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"The quality of being subtle.",
"The quality of being able to achieve one's aims through clever, delicate or indirect methods. (of people)"
],
"links": [
[
"subtle",
"subtle"
],
[
"achieve",
"achieve"
],
[
"clever",
"clever"
],
[
"delicate",
"delicate"
],
[
"indirect",
"indirect"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(uncountable) The quality of being subtle.",
"The quality of being able to achieve one's aims through clever, delicate or indirect methods. (of people)"
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "discretion"
},
{
"word": "finesse"
},
{
"word": "savoir-faire"
}
],
"tags": [
"countable",
"uncountable"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"English uncountable nouns"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 1:4:",
"text": "To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1770, Oliver Goldsmith, The Life of Henry St. John, Lord Viscount Bolingbroke, London: T. Davies, page 7:",
"text": "his subtilty in thinking and reasoning were profound,",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"The quality of being subtle.",
"The quality of being able to notice or understand things that are not obvious. (of people)"
],
"links": [
[
"subtle",
"subtle"
],
[
"notice",
"notice"
],
[
"understand",
"understand"
],
[
"obvious",
"obvious"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(uncountable) The quality of being subtle.",
"The quality of being able to notice or understand things that are not obvious. (of people)"
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "acumen"
},
{
"word": "perceptiveness"
},
{
"word": "perspicacity"
}
],
"tags": [
"countable",
"uncountable"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English countable nouns",
"English terms with quotations",
"English terms with usage examples",
"Quotation templates to be cleaned"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "The subtleties of this overture are often overlooked.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"text": "1561, William Whittingham et al. (translators), Geneva Bible, Wisdom of Solomon 8.8,\n[…] she [Wisdom] knoweth the subtilties of wordes, and the solutions of darke sentences:"
},
{
"ref": "1661, Robert Boyle, “Physiological Considerations Touching the Experiments Wont to be Employed to Evince either the IV Peripatetick Elements, or the III Chymical Principls of Mixt Bodies. Part of the First Dialogue.”, in The Sceptical Chymist: or Chymico-physical Doubts & Paradoxes, […], London: […] J. Cadwell for J. Crooke, […], →OCLC, pages 14–15:",
"text": "For I, and no doubt You, have long obſerved, that thoſe Dialectical ſubtleties, that the Schoolmen too often employ about Phyſiological Myſteries, are vvont much more to declare the vvit of him that uſes them, then increaſe the knovvledge or remove the doubts of ſober lovers of truth. And such captious ſubtleties do indeed often puzzle and ſometimes ſilence men, but rarely ſatisfy them.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1779, David Hume, Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, Part 10, p. 112:",
"text": "It is your turn now […] to support your philosophical subtilties against the dictates of plain reason and experience.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1886 May – 1887 April, Thomas Hardy, chapter VI, in The Woodlanders […], volume II, London; New York, N.Y.: Macmillan and Co., published 1887, →OCLC, page 104:",
"text": "She could not explain the subtleties of her feeling as clearly as he could state his opinion, even though she had skill in speech, and her father had none.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1952 September 19, John Steinbeck, chapter 36, in East of Eden, New York, N.Y.: The Viking Press, →OCLC, book 4, page 422:",
"text": "His body was as insensitive to pain as was his mind to subtleties.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2023 September 4, Peter Bradshaw, “Evil Does Not Exist review – Ryu Hamaguchi’s enigmatic eco-parable eschews easy explanation”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:",
"text": "Most cinema signposts everything and—to quote the phrase apocryphically attributed to Billy Wilder—makes everything obvious, especially the subtleties.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"An instance of being subtle, a subtle thing, especially a subtle argument or distinction."
],
"links": [
[
"subtle",
"subtle"
],
[
"argument",
"argument"
],
[
"distinction",
"distinction"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(countable) An instance of being subtle, a subtle thing, especially a subtle argument or distinction."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "nicety"
},
{
"word": "nuance"
}
],
"tags": [
"countable"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English countable nouns",
"English terms with historical senses",
"English terms with quotations",
"English terms with usage examples"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "At the king's coronation feast, several subtleties were served between main courses.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1548, Edward Hall, “The triumphaunt reigne of Kyng Henry the .VIII.”, in The Union of the Two Noble and Illustre Famelies of Lancastre [and] Yorke, London: Richard Grafton:",
"text": "the seruice […] was sumpteous, with many subtleties, straunge deuises, with seuerall poses, and many deintie dishes.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"An ornate medieval illusion dish or table decoration, especially when made from one thing but crafted to look like another."
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(countable, historical) An ornate medieval illusion dish or table decoration, especially when made from one thing but crafted to look like another."
],
"tags": [
"countable",
"historical"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English countable nouns",
"English terms with archaic senses",
"English terms with quotations",
"English uncountable nouns"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1575, George Gascoigne, “Termes generall of the huntesman, in hunting of any chase”, in The Noble Arte of Venerie of Hunting, London: Christopher Barker, page 243:",
"text": "When eyther Hare or Deare, or any other chase vseth subtleties to deceyue the houndes, we saye they crosse or double.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"english": "The New Arcadia",
"ref": "c. 1580 (date written), Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the folio)”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: […] [John Windet] for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC:",
"text": "[She] resolued now with plainnesse to winne trust, which trust she might after deceyue with a greater subtletie.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Corinthians 11:3:",
"text": "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1715–1720, Homer, translated by Alexander Pope, “(please specify the book of the Iliad or chapter quoted from)”, in The Iliad of Homer, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC, page 136:",
"text": "[…] the Spy was deceiv’d rather by the Art and Subtlety of Ulysses, than by his Falshood.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1817 (date written), [Jane Austen], chapter X, in Persuasion; published in Northanger Abbey: And Persuasion. […], volume (please specify |volume=III or IV), London: John Murray, […], 20 December 1817 (indicated as 1818), →OCLC, page 220:",
"text": "Mr. Elliot’s subtleties, in endeavouring to prevent [the marriage]",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"The quality of being clever in surreptitious or deceitful behaviour; an act or argument that shows this quality."
],
"links": [
[
"clever",
"clever"
],
[
"surreptitious",
"surreptitious"
],
[
"deceitful",
"deceitful"
],
[
"behaviour",
"behaviour"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(uncountable, countable, archaic) The quality of being clever in surreptitious or deceitful behaviour; an act or argument that shows this quality."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "artifice"
},
{
"word": "craftiness"
},
{
"word": "cunning"
},
{
"word": "deceitfulness"
},
{
"word": "slyness"
},
{
"word": "trickery"
}
],
"tags": [
"archaic",
"countable",
"uncountable"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English countable nouns",
"English terms with obsolete senses",
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:",
"text": "You doe yet taste\nSome subtleties o’ th’ Isle, that will not let you\nBeleeue things certaine:",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A trick that creates a false appearance."
],
"links": [
[
"trick",
"trick"
],
[
"false",
"false"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(countable, obsolete) A trick that creates a false appearance."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "deception"
},
{
"word": "illusion"
}
],
"tags": [
"countable",
"obsolete"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with obsolete senses",
"English terms with quotations",
"English uncountable nouns"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "1630, Thomas Johnson (translator/editor), A Treatise of the Plague […] Collected out of the workes of […] Ambrose Parey, London, Chapter 11, p. 33,\nTherefore at Paris where naturally, and also through the aboundance of filth that is about the Citie, the Aire is darke and grosse, the pestilent Infection is lesse fierce and contagious then it is in Prouince, for the subtletie of the Aire stimulates or helps forward the Plague."
},
{
"ref": "1692, Robert Boyle, General Heads for the Natural History of a Country Great or Small Drawn Out for the Use of Travellers and Navigators, London: John Tailor and S. Hedford, page 3:",
"text": "About the Air is to be considered, its Temperature as to Heat, Dryness and Moisture, and the Measures of them, its Weight, Clearness, Refractive Power, its Subtilty or Grosness […]",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"The property of having a low density or thin consistency."
],
"links": [
[
"property",
"property"
],
[
"density",
"density"
],
[
"consistency",
"consistency"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(uncountable, obsolete) The property of having a low density or thin consistency."
],
"tags": [
"obsolete",
"uncountable"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with obsolete senses",
"English terms with quotations",
"English uncountable nouns",
"Quotation templates to be cleaned"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1760, John Wesley, The Desideratum; or, Electricity Made Plain and Useful, London, pages 37–38:",
"text": "Hence we see the amazing Subtlety of this Fire, which pervades Glass as readily as if nothing were in the Way.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"The property of being able to penetrate materials easily."
],
"links": [
[
"property",
"property"
],
[
"penetrate",
"penetrate"
],
[
"material",
"material"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(uncountable, obsolete) The property of being able to penetrate materials easily."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "penetrancy"
},
{
"word": "piercingness"
}
],
"tags": [
"obsolete",
"uncountable"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈsʌt(ə)lti/"
},
{
"audio": "en-us-subtlety.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/57/En-us-subtlety.ogg/En-us-subtlety.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/En-us-subtlety.ogg"
},
{
"audio": "en-au-subtlety.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3e/En-au-subtlety.ogg/En-au-subtlety.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/En-au-subtlety.ogg"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"tags": [
"archaic"
],
"word": "subtilty"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "ast",
"lang": "Asturian",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "sutileza"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "subtilesa"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "wēimiào",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"word": "微妙"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "jemnost"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "prchavost"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "delikátnost"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "decentnost"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"word": "hienovaraisuus"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"word": "subtilité"
},
{
"code": "gl",
"lang": "Galician",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "sutileza"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Geschicklichkeit"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Feinheit"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Feinsinn"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Feinsinnigkeit"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Raffinesse"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Raffiniertheit"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Scharfsinn"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Scharfsinnigkeit"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Subtilität"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Zartheit"
},
{
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "leptótita",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "λεπτότητα"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "sottigliezza"
},
{
"alt": "びみょう",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "bimyō",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"word": "微妙"
},
{
"code": "la",
"lang": "Latin",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine",
"plural"
],
"word": "argūtiae"
},
{
"code": "la",
"lang": "Latin",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "subtīlitās"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "subtelność"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "delikatność"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"Brazil",
"feminine"
],
"word": "sutileza"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"Portugal"
],
"word": "subtileza"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "tónkostʹ",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "то́нкость"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "delicadeza"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "sutileza"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "sutilidad"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"word": "subtilitet"
},
{
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"word": "incelik"
},
{
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"word": "kurnazlık"
},
{
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"word": "zekilik"
},
{
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"word": "ustalık"
},
{
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "quality or act of being subtle",
"word": "anlaşılmazlık"
},
{
"code": "ast",
"lang": "Asturian",
"sense": "an instance of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "sutileza"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "an instance of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "nuance"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "an instance of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "jemnůstka"
},
{
"code": "gl",
"lang": "Galician",
"sense": "an instance of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "sutileza"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "an instance of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "subtelność"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "an instance of being subtle",
"tags": [
"Brazil",
"feminine"
],
"word": "sutileza"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "an instance of being subtle",
"tags": [
"Portugal"
],
"word": "subtileza"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "utončónnostʹ",
"sense": "an instance of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "утончённость"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "an instance of being subtle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "sutileza"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "an instance of being subtle",
"tags": [
"common-gender"
],
"word": "subtilitet"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "an instance of being subtle",
"word": "finess"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "illusion food",
"word": "entremets"
}
],
"wikipedia": [
"subtlety"
],
"word": "subtlety"
}
Download raw JSONL data for subtlety meaning in All languages combined (21.7kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-15 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (8a39820 and 4401a4c). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.