refined

American  

[ri-fahynd] / rɪˈfaɪnd /

adjective

1. having or showing well-bred feeling, taste, etc..

   refined people.

   Synonyms:

   elegant, genteel, courtly, civilized, courteous, polite, polished, cultivated

   Antonyms:

   crude, coarse, rude

2. freed or free from coarseness, vulgarity, etc..

   refined taste.

3. freed from impurities.

   refined sugar.

   Synonyms:

   distilled

4. very subtle, precise, or exact.

   refined distinctions.

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refined British  

/ rɪˈfaɪnd /

adjective

1. not coarse or vulgar; genteel, elegant, or polite

2. subtle; discriminating

3. freed from impurities; purified

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Other Word Forms

• half-refined adjective
• nonrefined adjective
• quasi-refined adjective
• refinedly adverb
• refinedness noun
• semirefined adjective
• superrefined adjective
• ultrarefined adjective
• well-refined adjective

Etymology

Origin of refined

First recorded in 1565–75; refine + -ed ²

Example Sentences

Ahead of the results, retail-analytics firm Placer.ai estimated a bigger jump in visits during the period, helped by a more refined loyalty program.

From MarketWatch

But it is refined from feedstocks that have captured atmospheric CO2, like waste forest or agriculture biomass, instead of fossil fuels that were previously locked away underground.

From The Wall Street Journal

Some evidence suggests that replacing refined carbohydrates with pecans may improve insulin response or help moderate after meal blood sugar levels.

From Science Daily

The White House is set to make a decision on whether to levy duties on refined copper later this year.

From The Wall Street Journal

Those models are by no means perfect—and they’re constantly getting refined and recalibrated.

From Barron's

Related Words

• classy
• cultivated
• delicate
• discriminating
• elegant
• genteel
• polished
• precise
• sophisticated
• subtle
• tasteful
• urbane