refined

[ ri-fahynd ]

/ rɪˈfaɪnd /

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.

Nearby words

reffo, refill, refinance, refinancing, refine, refined, refinement, refiner, refinery, refinish, refit

Origin of refined

First recorded in 1565–75; refine + -ed²

SYNONYMS FOR refined

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

3 clarified, distilled, purified.

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ANTONYMS FOR refined

1 rude, coarse, crude.

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Related forms

re·fin·ed·ly

[ri-fahy-nid-lee, -fahynd-] /rɪˈfaɪ nɪd li, -ˈfaɪnd-/, adverbre·fin·ed·ness, nounhalf-re·fined, adjectivenon·re·fined, adjective

qua·si-re·fined, adjectivesem·i·re·fined, adjectivesu·per·re·fined, adjectiveul·tra·re·fined, adjectivewell-re·fined, adjective

Definition for refined (2 of 2)

refine

[ ri-fahyn ]

/ rɪˈfaɪn /

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

re·fin·a·ble, adjectivere·fin·er, nounpre·re·fine, verb (used with object), pre·re·fined, pre·re·fin·ing.self-re·fin·ing, adjective

su·per·re·fine, verb (used with object), su·per·re·fined, su·per·re·fin·ing.un·re·fin·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for refined

To produce deliciously smooth drams of single malt, the region has refined the ancient art of distillation.
When It Comes to Great Whisky, The Size of Your Still Matters||December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In refined form, sugar (also known as sucrose) has been linked to everything from heart disease to diabetes.
Are Artificial Sweeteners Wrecking Your Diet?|DailyBurn|September 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
From the refined attire at Lincoln Center to the avant-garde dress downtown, we spotted many of the big 2014 trends.
New York Fashion Week's Style on the Streets|Sara Sayed|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Stacks of refined (left) and crude (right) Tin ingots after smelting.
Will You Choose a Conflict-Free Microprocessor?|Intel|May 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Refined, elegant, and to the manor born, Betty is everything that Don is not.
Every Woman Don Draper’s Hooked Up With on ‘Mad Men’|Amy Zimmerman|April 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One glance at the woman showed her to be elegant in dress and of a refined appearance.
The Crime of the French Caf and Other Stories|Nicholas Carter
It was then that Lad disgraced himself and his deities, and proved himself all unworthy to appear in so refined an assembly.
Lad: A Dog|Albert Payson Terhune
All his sympathies and tastes were those of a man of refined mind, and of a lover of scholarship and sound learning.
George Washington, Vol. II|Henry Cabot Lodge
Though so refined as to elude the force of material remedies, some may however think that it may be reasoned with.
Observations on Madness and Melancholy|John Haslam
"Refined conversation is not made of impertinences," Madame suggested.
Master of the Vineyard|Myrtle Reed

British Dictionary definitions for refined (1 of 2)

refined

/ (rɪˈfaɪnd) /

adjective

not coarse or vulgar; genteel, elegant, or polite

subtle; discriminating

freed from impurities; purified

British Dictionary definitions for refined (2 of 2)

refine

/ (rɪˈfaɪn) /

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 Forms

refinable, 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

refined

adjective

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of refined

SYNONYMS FOR refined

ANTONYMS FOR refined

Related forms

Definition for refined (2 of 2)

refine

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

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

Verb Phrases

Origin of refine

Related forms

Examples from the Web for refined

British Dictionary definitions for refined (1 of 2)

refined

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for refined (2 of 2)

refine

verb

Derived Forms

Word Origin for refine

Medicine definitions for refined

refine

v.