refinement

[ ri-fahyn-muhnt ]
See synonyms for refinement on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. fineness or elegance of feeling, taste, manners, language, etc.

  2. an instance of refined feeling, manners, etc.

  1. the act or process of refining.

  2. the quality or state of being refined.

  3. a subtle point or distinction.

  4. subtle reasoning.

  5. an improved, higher, or extreme form of something: a refinement of the old system.

  6. Mathematics. a set whose elements include the elements of a given set.

Origin of refinement

1
First recorded in 1605–15; refine + -ment

Other words from refinement

  • non·re·fine·ment, noun
  • pre·re·fine·ment, noun
  • self-re·fine·ment, noun
  • su·per·re·fine·ment, noun

Words Nearby refinement

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use refinement in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for refinement

refinement

/ (rɪˈfaɪnmənt) /


noun
  1. the act of refining or the state of being refined

  2. a fine or delicate point, distinction, or expression; a subtlety

  1. fineness or precision of thought, expression, manners, etc; polish or cultivation

  2. a device, change, adaptation, etc, designed to improve performance or increase efficiency

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