What's the difference between discreet and subtle?

Discreet


Definition:

  • (superl.) Possessed of discernment, especially in avoiding error or evil, and in the adaptation of means to ends; prudent; sagacious; judicious; not rash or heedless; cautious.
  • (superl.) Differing; distinct.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) By indirect immunofluorescence, fibronectin is seen as arrays of long fibers in fibroblastic ECM, whereas in endothelial ECM, fibronectin is found in discreet foci as short fibers.
  • (2) MRT proved to the superior to CT. CT demonstrated a discreet temporal lobe lesion in three patients and MRT in four patients.
  • (3) The best senior staff are discreet, disciplined, hard-working, collaborative and almost invisible.
  • (4) Like his wind turbine though, discreetly taken down some months later, many people are now concluding that Cameron's promise to lead the " greenest government ever " was little more than a fraudulent gimmick, a PR stunt from a man schooled in the PR industry.
  • (5) The application of these principles and the use of specific treatment modalities to manage the discreet manifestations of dry eye syndrome can lead to successful management in the majority of cases, with the preservation of useful vision and the relief of symptoms.
  • (6) Out of 80 preschool children, 8% of them had clinically evident signs of a possible cortical lesion, which were discreet and regarded the visuomotor, in other words visuoconstructive functions.
  • (7) Six royal aides and lawyers were seen at one hearing discreetly monitoring the arguments.
  • (8) Sampson became the discreet, muttering centre of a web, connected by telephone and letter, telegram and fax, to an astounding cast of world leaders and commentarians, film stars and novelists.
  • (9) Normally, its diplomats try to maintain as low a profile as possible, conducting business through discreet lunches and dinners rather than mounting such high-profile lobbying exercises.
  • (10) Still, Suleimani was discreetly involved in negotiations with the US after the September 11 attacks, when Iran offered help to US forces in Afghanistan – until George W Bush included Tehran in "the axis of evil".
  • (11) Unlike more discreet foreign envoys in London, the ambassador is not afraid to state his views publicly and forcefully.
  • (12) folds up its comedy deckchair, presses mute on the trombones and drapes a hand towel discreetly over Mark's crotch.
  • (13) Using skills acquired in his first job with the accountancy giant PricewaterhouseCoopers and his second, buying and selling companies for JP Morgan, he minted a commercial model from the calm opulence of United's discreet Mayfair office that soon became the envy of the football world.
  • (14) It feels wrong to call for them to be dropped but Stoke fans discreetly admit that their inability to galumph around the pitch as effectively as before is one of the reasons for the team’s recent vulnerability.
  • (15) One day after the last day of exposure, the animals were decapitated and steady state concentrations of norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT), 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-mandelic acid (VMA), 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl glycol (MOPEG), dihydroxphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were determined in six discreet brain regions using electrochemical high-performance liquid chromatography.
  • (16) One of these approaches, the neurobehavioral model of cocaine dependency treatment establishes a clear timetable for cocaine recovery and focusses attention on four discreet areas of functioning.
  • (17) This is also true for discreet and partial ossification defects which are not visible on conventional x-rays and are described here for the first time.
  • (18) We piloted the Forget-Me-Not Challenge, encouraging departments to identify patients who have dementia or who are confused by placing a discreet picture of a forget-me-not above their bed.
  • (19) However, Condé Nast insiders say Greig's resignation is expected within days and the glossy magazine publisher's managing director, Nicolas Coleridge, is understood to be discreetly searching for a replacement Tatler editor.
  • (20) They pioneered ways of discreetly carving out spaces where other codes apply, protected by cryptic passwords.

Subtle


Definition:

  • (superl.) Sly in design; artful; cunning; insinuating; subtile; -- applied to persons; as, a subtle foe.
  • (superl.) Cunningly devised; crafty; treacherous; as, a subtle stratagem.
  • (superl.) 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.
  • (superl.) Smooth and deceptive.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) As a group, the three mammalian proteins resemble bovine serum conglutinin and behave as lectins with rather broad sugar specificities directed at certain non-reducing terminal N-acetylglucosamine, mannose, glucose and fucose residues, but with subtle differences in fine specificities.
  • (2) But it will be a subtle difference, because it's already abundantly clear there's no danger of the war being suddenly forgotten, or made to seem irrelevant to our sense of what Europe and the world has to avoid repeating.
  • (3) Communicating sustainability is a subtle attempt at doing good Read more And yet, in environmental terms it is infinitely preferable to prevent waste altogether, rather than recycle it.
  • (4) If, indeed, there is an immunologic basis for pre-eclampsia, it is more subtle than the methodology used in this study is capable of detecting.
  • (5) Subtle differences between Chicago urban and Grand Forks rural climates are reflected in arthritic subjects' degree of pain and their perception of pain-related stress.
  • (6) Critical in this understanding are the subtle changes that occur in the individual patient, reflecting the natural history of the disease or response to its treatment.
  • (7) Subtle cognitive deficits in Inferential Reading Comprehension were detected when Reading Vocabulary was at or better than a twelfth grade level.
  • (8) This histochemical difference corresponded to more subtle differences in Nissl and myelin staining patterns, and suggests further structural subdivisions of potential functional significance.
  • (9) Thus, luciferase transcriptional fusions can detect subtle variations in initial rates of gene expression in a real-time, nondestructive assay.
  • (10) The binding of [3H]PAF to washed human platelets indicated subtle changes between Days 2 and 4, which became more noticeable by Day 6.
  • (11) In this study the temperature dependence of the reactivity of aldolase SH groups is investigated in order to detect subtle changes in the enzyme conformation.
  • (12) The crucial issue of whether subtle behavioral, intellectual, and developmental impairment occurs in young children, as a result of lead-induced CNS damage is discussed in detail.
  • (13) Historically, what made SNL’s campaign coverage so necessary was its ability to highlight the subtle absurdities of the election and exaggerate the ridiculous.
  • (14) It is believed that by looking at such subtle shape differences an understanding of what it means morphologically for a primate to be either more or less arboreal may be achieved.
  • (15) The current magnetic resonance imaging system with computerized image processing is a sensitive and simple method for evaluation of subtle parenchymal changes of the brain.
  • (16) Fundus examination disclosed a subtle cherry red spot bilaterally.
  • (17) Ependymal cells developed luminal fronds that projected into the ventricle and the subpial glia displayed a very subtle gliosis in the form of thin multi-laminated processes.
  • (18) The rapidity of obtaining the results (within one hour), the complete absence of untoward reactions to the radiopharmaceuticals, the much lower frequency of subtle or indeterminate results, the ability to render useful information in the presence of moderate jaundice and the lack of interference from overlying intestinal contents establishes these radionuclide agents as superior to both radiographic oral and intravenous cholangiography in the investigation of the acute abdomen.
  • (19) Moreover, subtle improvements observed in earlier investigations were not confirmed.
  • (20) Various compounds show subtle but significant differences in blood clearance, excretion, and soft-tissue uptake.