sublimate
verb (used with object)
to divert the energy of (a sexual or other biological impulse) from its immediate goal to one of a more acceptable social, moral, or aesthetic nature or use.
sublimated
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past participleof sublimate.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof sublimate.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
sublimateverb (used with object)to divert the energy of (a sexual or other biological impulse) from its immediate goal to one of a more acceptable social, moral, or aesthetic nature or use.
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.
But the sibling competition, however sublimated, was real.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
The 12-foot-long cabinetlike work is the latest in the series that Peters calls “impossible monuments”: installations made out of disparate, significant materials that explore overlooked or sublimated matters of import.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 20, 2024
Materials are sublimated in a vacuum under heat supply, i.e. they are converted from a solid to a gaseous state and condense on the substrate surface.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 14, 2024
Isabel bears this quietly, and in that moment Ellis-Taylor’s face becomes an epic poem of expertly sublimated frustration and ire.
From Salon ● Jan. 26, 2024
It seemed, for the most part, that he sublimated his anger towards Henry into his dealings with the rest of the world.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
