sub|tle /sʌ t ə l/ (subtler , subtlest )
1 ADJ Something that is subtle is not immediately obvious or noticeable. □ …the slow and subtle changes that take place in all living things. □ Intolerance can take subtler forms too. ● sub|tly ADV □ The truth is subtly different.
2 ADJ A subtle person cleverly uses indirect methods to achieve something. □ I even began to exploit him in subtle ways. ● sub|tly ADV [ADV with v] □ What I've tried very subtly to do is to reclaim language.
3 ADJ Subtle smells, tastes, sounds, or colours are pleasantly complex and delicate. □ …subtle shades of brown. □ …delightfully subtle scents. ● sub|tly ADV □ …a white sofa teamed with subtly coloured rugs.
sub|tle|ty /sʌ t ə lti/ (subtleties )
1 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Subtleties are very small details or differences which are not obvious. □ [+ of ] His fascination with the subtleties of human behaviour makes him a good storyteller. □ When a book goes into translation, all those linguistic subtleties get lost.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Subtlety is the quality of being not immediately obvious or noticeable, and therefore difficult to describe. □ [+ of ] English lamb does not have the subtlety of flavour of Pyrennean lamb.
3 N‑UNCOUNT Subtlety is the ability to notice and recognize things which are not obvious, especially small differences between things. □ She analyses herself with great subtlety.
4 N‑UNCOUNT Subtlety is the ability to use indirect methods to achieve something, rather than doing something that is obvious. □ They had obviously been hoping to approach the topic with more subtlety.
sub|to|tal /sʌ btoʊt ə l/ (subtotals ) also sub-total N‑COUNT A subtotal is a figure that is the result of adding some numbers together but is not the final total.
sub|tract /səbtræ kt/ (subtracts , subtracting , subtracted ) VERB If you subtract one number from another, you do a calculation in which you take it away from the other number. For example, if you subtract 3 from 5, you get 2. □ [V n + from ] Mandy subtracted the date of birth from the date of death. □ [V n] We have subtracted $25 per adult to arrive at a basic room rate. ● sub|trac|tion /səbtræ kʃ ə n/ (subtractions ) N‑VAR □ She's ready to learn simple addition and subtraction. □ I looked at what he'd given me and did a quick subtraction.
su b-tro pical also subtropical ADJ Sub-tropical places have a climate that is warm and wet, and are often near tropical regions. □ …the sub-tropical region of the Chapare.
sub|urb /sʌ bɜː r b/ (suburbs )
1 N‑COUNT A suburb of a city or large town is a smaller area which is part of the city or large town but is outside its centre. □ [+ of ] Anna was born in 1923 in Ardwick, a suburb of Manchester.
2 N‑PLURAL [oft in the N ] If you live in the suburbs , you live in an area of houses outside the centre of a large town or city. □ His family lived in the suburbs. □ …Bombay's suburbs.
sub|ur|ban /səbɜː r bən/ ADJ [ADJ n] Suburban means relating to a suburb. □ …a suburban shopping centre in Sydney.
sub|ur|bia /səbɜː r biə/ N‑UNCOUNT Journalists often use suburbia to refer to the suburbs of cities and large towns considered as a whole. □ …images of bright summer mornings in leafy suburbia.
sub|ver|sion /səbvɜː r ʃ ə n, [AM ] -ʒ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT Subversion is the attempt to weaken or destroy a political system or a government. □ He was arrested in parliament on charges of subversion for organizing the demonstration.
sub|ver|sive /səbvɜː r s I v/ (subversives )
1 ADJ Something that is subversive is intended to weaken or destroy a political system or government. □ This courageous and subversive movie has attracted widespread critical support.
2 N‑COUNT Subversives are people who attempt to weaken or destroy a political system or government. □ Agents regularly rounded up suspected subversives.
sub|vert /səbvɜː r t/ (subverts , subverting , subverted ) VERB To subvert something means to destroy its power and influence. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] …an alleged plot to subvert the state.
sub|way /sʌ bwe I / (subways )
1 N‑COUNT [oft N n, oft by N ] A subway is an underground railway. [mainly AM ] □ …the Bay Area Rapid Transit subway system. □ I don't ride the subway late at night. in BRIT, use underground , tube 2 N‑COUNT A subway is a passage underneath a busy road or a railway track for people to walk through. [BRIT ] in AM, use underpass
su b-ze ro also subzero ADJ Sub-zero temperatures are below 0° centigrade or, in the United States, below 0° Fahrenheit. □ …passengers stranded in sub-zero temperatures.
suc|ceed ◆◆◇ /səksiː d/ (succeeds , succeeding , succeeded )
1 VERB If you succeed in doing something, you manage to do it. □ [V + in ] We have already succeeded in working out ground rules with the Department of Defense. □ [V + in ] Some people will succeed in their efforts to stop smoking.
2 VERB If something succeeds , it works in a satisfactory way or has the result that is intended. □ [V ] …a move which would make any future talks even more unlikely to succeed.