refinement
Americannoun
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refinements
plural
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fineness or elegance of feeling, taste, manners, language, etc.
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an instance of refined feeling, manners, etc.
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the act or process of refining.
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the quality or state of being refined.
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a subtle point or distinction.
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subtle reasoning.
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an improved, higher, or extreme form of something.
a refinement of the old system.
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Mathematics. a set whose elements include the elements of a given set.
noun
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the act of refining or the state of being refined
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a fine or delicate point, distinction, or expression; a subtlety
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fineness or precision of thought, expression, manners, etc; polish or cultivation
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a device, change, adaptation, etc, designed to improve performance or increase efficiency
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of refinement
Explanation
Do you know which fork is for your salad and which one is for dessert? Then you have some refinement — good manners and taste. Things that go through a process of refinement have been refined; they've lost their rough edges. For people, this means they have good manners, and for substances like oil and sugar, it means that their impurities have been removed. With refinement, things and people become more acceptable: the sugar's refinement makes it appropriate to serve at a fancy party, and your refinement makes you a perfect guest there.
Vocabulary lists containing refinement
"A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift
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Vocabulary from "John L. O'Sullivan on 'Manifest Destiny' " from 1839
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"The Mixer" by P.G. Wodehouse
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Today it produces just 20 barrels a day -- enough to fill the tanks of only 20-30 cars after refinement.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
Hitchcock telescopes the debate over art versus virtue, making the point that aesthetic refinement by no means connotes morality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
"All this comes with true excitement about the beauty, elegance, and refinement found in and produced by nature."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026
The controversy is a "reminder", the article said, that "mere superficial popularity will not only fail to generate sustainable profits, but also lead to a loss of cultural refinement".
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
It was a modest portrait that for a time became the highest refinement of Renaissance painting.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
“We decided that the importance of Dwyane warranted making those refinements rather than accepting something we believed could be improved.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
Medvedev believes the core mechanism behind the zebra stripes is now largely understood, though further refinements may improve precision.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 28, 2026
The typing tutor and vocab trainer were easy to make based on a description of the app and a few rounds of refinements.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026
"With certain refinements, it works even in complex materials where electrons interact strongly with one another."
From Science Daily ● Jan. 15, 2026
On the other hand, it is evident that when princes have given more thought to delicate refinements than to military concerns, they have lost their state.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
