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overrefine

American  
[oh-ver-ri-fahyn] / ˌoʊ vər rɪˈfaɪn /

verb (used with object)

overrefined, overrefining

  1. to refine excessively, as with oversubtle distinctions.

overrefine British  
/ ˌəʊvərɪˈfaɪn /

verb

  1. to refine (something) to excess

  2. (intr) to make excessively fine distinctions

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • overrefinement noun

Etymology

Origin of overrefine

First recorded in 1705–15; over- + refine

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.