refreshing
Americanadjective
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having the power to restore freshness, vitality, energy, etc..
a refreshing nap.
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pleasingly fresh or different.
a refreshing lack of pretense.
adjective
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able to or tending to refresh; invigorating
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pleasantly different or novel
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of refreshing
Explanation
Something is refreshing if it reinvigorates you, or seems new and exciting. The offer of a refreshing glass of iced tea would be especially refreshing if it came from your normally cranky sister. Mint toothpaste is refreshing — clean and brisk — and a cool ocean breeze is refreshing on a hot day. If you're used to seeing wilted salads and pale lasagna in your school cafeteria every day, a refreshing change would be a taco bar or homemade pizza. Refreshing comes from the verb refresh, which has a Germanic root similar to frisc, "fresh" in Old High German.
Vocabulary lists containing refreshing
Words to Describe a Movie
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Words to Describe Food
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American Street
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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.
Watermelon has long been a summer favorite, but research suggests this refreshing fruit may offer benefits far beyond hydration.
From Science Daily • May 17, 2026
For the moms who love a tart yet refreshing dessert, treat them to homemade lime ice cream.
From Salon • May 10, 2026
Michael Arden, who won a Tony for directing last year’s best musical winner, “Maybe Happy Ending,” infuses his visually spectacular production of “The Lost Boys” with a refreshing 21st century sensitivity.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
Yet in an era where players seem eager to throw themselves to the ground, it is refreshing that Haaland did not over-react.
From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026
“Do you suppose, Myanda, that our guests would enjoy a refreshing bath?”
From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer
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.
