supersubtletyn.
/ˌsuːpəˈsʌtlti/, /ˌsjuːpəˈsʌtlti/, U.S. /ˌsupərˈsədldi/, /ˌsupərˈsədlti/ Extreme or excessive subtlety; an instance of this.
ΘΚΠ
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
1834 Athenaeum 18 Oct. 762/2 With him the heart of the poet has always influenced the tongue of the satirist; and to all who would charge our judgment with partial supersubtlety, we would point to the tale before us—wherein the artist has had a wider canvas than usual.
1858 D. Masson Life Milton I. vi. 443 In him [sc. Donne] there were gathered up..all the tips and clippings of super-subtlety among the Elizabethans.
1871 Nation 23 Feb. 129/1 We still mingle with our gratitude, however, some grumbling that there should be so much too much wit and point, and some supersubtleties of interpretation.
1923 B. Matthews Playwrights on Playmaking x. 203 The supersubtleties in which Henry James excelled were impossible in the theater.
1962 Eng. Jrnl. 51 318/2 Our intention is not to use the poems to review literary terminology or inculcate critical supersubtlety.
2008 Sunday Times (Nexis) 23 Mar. 36 The work's alliance of super-subtlety and brute force constantly astonishes.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2012; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1834