overrefine

[oh-ver-ri-fahyn]

verb (used with object)

overrefined, overrefining 

1. to refine excessively, as with oversubtle distinctions.

overrefine

/ ˌəʊvərɪˈfaɪn /

verb

1. to refine (something) to excess

2. (intr) to make excessively fine distinctions

Other Word Forms

• overrefinement noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of overrefine¹

First recorded in 1705–15; over- + refine

Example Sentences

But many people now use it to mean “effeminate” or “overrefined.”

Read more on Literature

It is often most elaborate, artificial, overrefined—one might even say, affected.

Read more on Project Gutenberg