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Showing results for refined. Search instead for refixed.
Synonyms

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.
refined British  
/ rɪˈfaɪnd /

adjective

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

  2. subtle; discriminating

  3. freed from impurities; purified

"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

  • 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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In the popular imagination geishas are often confused with courtesans but their work as trained masters of refined old artforms does not involve selling sex.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Architecture by Swedroe Architecture, with interiors by Oggi Design House, aims to deliver a more refined, design-forward residential experience along the Treasure Coast.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

Like the new federal dietary guidelines released back in January, the document cautions against processed foods and refined sugars.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

The country has some of East Africa's largest oil reserves, but the majority is exported, while it imports the refined product needed for fuel.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

During our years on the island we kept up a continuing dialogue about our beliefs and ideas; we debated them, questioned them, and thereby refined them.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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.