Dictionary.com
definitions

refined

[ri-fahynd]
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR refined ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having or showing well-bred feeling, taste, etc.: refined people.
freed or free from coarseness, vulgarity, etc.: refined taste.
freed from impurities: refined sugar.
very subtle, precise, or exact: refined distinctions.

RELATED CONTENT

What Certain Flowers Are SayingLike precious stones and tarot cards, flowers have symbolic meanings that only some understand. Different flowers represent sorrow, repentance, unrequited love, or beauty. Here are some of the most popular Mother’s Day flowers and their associated meanings. Do you know what these blooms are saying? Most of us appreciate flowers just because they are beautiful and not for their symbolic meanings, but this year you …
READ MORE
What’s the Origin of the Word Nice?Recently the phrase nice guy has been used to describe guys who are anything but nice by current standards. Before it was taken down, the blog the Nice Guys of OkCupid showcased images from online dating profiles of self-proclaimed “nice guys” overlaid with misogynistic quotes taken directly from the text of these same profiles. Laurie Penny of New Statesman dubbed this “a dispiriting catalogue of …
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

precise, polished, tasteful, cultivated, discriminating, elegant, genteel, delicate, classy, subtle, sophisticated, urbane, processed, pure, purified, exact, discerning, enlightened, fine, restrained

Nearby words

  1. reffo,
  2. refill,
  3. refinance,
  4. refinancing,
  5. refine,
  6. refinedly,
  7. refinement,
  8. refiner,
  9. refinery,
  10. refining

Origin of refined

First recorded in 1565–75; refine + -ed2
ANTONYMS FOR refined
1. rude, coarse, crude.
SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR refined ON THESAURUS.COM
Related forms

refine

[ri-fahyn]

verb (used with object), re·fined, re·fin·ing.

to bring to a fine or a pure state; free from impurities: to refine metal, sugar, or petroleum.
to purify from what is coarse, vulgar, or debasing; make elegant or cultured.
to bring to a finer state or form by purifying.
to make more fine, subtle, or precise: to refine one's writing style.

verb (used without object), re·fined, re·fin·ing.

to become pure: The silver is refining in the furnace.
to become more fine, elegant, or polished: His parents hope that his manners will refine as he gets older.
to make fine distinctions in thought or language.

Verb Phrases

refine on/upon, to improve by inserting finer distinctions, superior elements, etc.: to refine on one's previous work.

Origin of refine

First recorded in 1575–85; re- + fine1
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for refined

British Dictionary definitions for refined

refined

adjective

not coarse or vulgar; genteel, elegant, or polite
subtle; discriminating
freed from impurities; purified

refine

verb

to make or become free from impurities, sediment, or other foreign matter; purify
(tr) to separate (a mixture) into pure constituents, as in an oil refinery
to make or become free from coarse characteristics; make or become elegant or polished
(tr often foll by out) to remove (something impure or extraneous)
(intr ; often foll by on or upon) to enlarge or improve (upon) by making subtle or fine distinctions
(tr) to make (language) more subtle or polished
Derived Formsrefinable, adjective

Word Origin for refine

C16: from re- + fine 1
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
Word Origin and History for refined
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for refined

refine

[rĭ-fīn′]

v.

To reduce to a pure state; purify.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.