over-subtletyn.
/ˌəʊvəˈsʌtlti/, U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsədldi/, /ˌoʊvərˈsədlti/ Excessive subtlety.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > reason, faculty of reasoning > misleading argument, sophistry > excessive subtlety, hair-splitting > [noun]
subtilitya1425
subtilty1569
niceness1580
ob1588
curiosity1605
ergotism1656
refinery1746
over-subtlety1833
ergoism1864
subtileness1867
pilpul1894
the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > discernment, discrimination > [noun] > delicacy of > often excessive
subtilty1569
niceness1580
curiosity1605
over-refinement1711
alembication1824
over-subtlety1833
over-refining1834
supersubtlety1834
1833 J. H. Newman Arians 4th Cent. iv. 318 Resisting..the orthodox doctrine from over-subtlety, timidity, pride, restlessness, or other weakness of mind.
1888 Atlantic Monthly July 118 Perhaps it would be fair to say that they were ensnared by oversubtlety, and still more by ambition.
1933 N.E.D. Suppl. at Alembicated Alembication, over-subtlety or over-refinement of expression.
1955 J. V. Curry Deception in Elizabethan Comedy iv. 97 One can hardly be accused of oversubtlety in pointing out that the members of the above three groups lie along appreciably distinct levels of intelligence.
1992 Dallas Morning News (Nexis) 7 Nov. 36 a Any symbolic drama that has a character named Woman..can't be accused of oversubtlety.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1833