Hey folks! I know the meaning of the word “subtle” but it has many definitions. Some of them are contradictory. For example, it means soft and also it means sharp as well!
I’m wondering when it comes to the GRE, what ETS mostly means by “subtle”, please?
Also, @gregmat I highly appreciate your opinion, if you leave a comment please.
It depends hugely on the context in which the word appears. Subtle as a synonym of sharp makes just sense in a phrase referring to somebody’s mental strength, making, for example, “subtle disinctions” (and having thus a subtle or sharp mind). But in the context of an effect it can mean “soft”: the measure had just subtle consequences. Yet this does not mean that the two meanings are contradictory. On the contrary, in both cases subtle denotes something minute, but context provides the additional meaning.
Yes, agree with Bookworm that it depends heavily on context. Some words in English are weird in that they can have contradictory definitions. “Sanction” is another one.
Thank you!
FYI @yashasya.shah
Noted 
