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"subtle" is also used as a crossword clue. If that's what you saw, the answer is often understated (11 letters).
Definitions
working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way
Used in a sentence
“The mighty Magnet from the Center darts / This ſtrong, tho' ſubtile Force, thro' all the Parts: / Its active Rays ejaculated thence, / Irradiate all the wide Circumference.”
“The difference between the tones is subtle, but you can hear it if you listen carefully.”
“[T]his heauenly foode is giuen for the ſatisfying of our emptie ſoules, and not for the exerciſing of our curious and ſubtle vvits.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer1 curated clues
01“Delicate or understated”6 letters
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