refined

[ri-fahynd]

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.

refined

/ rɪˈfaɪnd /

adjective

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

2. subtle; discriminating

3. freed from impurities; purified

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of refined¹

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

Example Sentences

But crude futures can’t sustain a rally with heating-oil crack spreads—the difference between the price of a barrel of crude and that of the refined product—falling the way they are.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The White House said those talks Sunday had resulted in an “updated and refined peace framework” but acknowledged that work still remained to reach a final agreement.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

With pitches in Australia tougher than ever and the refined Kookaburra seaming more, driving is fraught with far more danger these days.

Read more on BBC

"Unhealthful" plant-based foods include fruit juice, sugar-sweetened beverages, refined grains, potatoes, and sweets.

Read more on Science Daily

In the first half of November, shipments of Russian refined oil products fell to their lowest level since the invasion, according to a Treasury official.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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