sublime
Americanadjective
-
elevated or lofty in thought, language, etc.: Paradise Lost is sublime poetry.
-
impressing the mind with a sense of grandeur or power; inspiring awe, veneration, etc..
Switzerland has sublime scenery.
- Synonyms:
- majestic, imposing, resplendent, gorgeous, grand, august, superb, magnificent
-
supreme or outstanding.
a sublime dinner.
-
complete; absolute; utter.
sublime stupidity.
-
Archaic.
-
of lofty bearing.
-
-
Archaic. raised high; high up.
noun
-
sublimes
plural
verb (used with object)
-
to make higher, nobler, or purer.
-
Chemistry.
-
to convert (a solid substance) by heat into a vapor, which on cooling condenses again to solid form, without apparent liquefaction.
-
to cause to be given off by this or some analogous process.
-
verb (used without object)
adjective
-
of high moral, aesthetic, intellectual, or spiritual value; noble; exalted
-
inspiring deep veneration, awe, or uplifting emotion because of its beauty, nobility, grandeur, or immensity
-
unparalleled; supreme
a sublime compliment
-
poetic of proud bearing or aspect
-
archaic raised up
noun
-
something that is sublime
-
the ultimate degree or perfect example
the sublime of folly
verb
-
(tr) to make higher or purer
-
to change or cause to change directly from a solid to a vapour or gas without first melting
to sublime iodine
many mercury salts sublime when heated
-
to undergo or cause to undergo this process followed by a reverse change directly from a vapour to a solid
to sublime iodine onto glass
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of sublime
First recorded in 1350–1400; (for the noun and adjective) from Latin sublīmis “high,” equivalent to sub- sub- + an element of uncertain origin, variously identified with līmen “lintel, threshold” or līmus “askew, aslant”; (for the verb) ultimately derivative of sublīmis
Explanation
In common use, sublime is an adjective meaning "awe-inspiringly grand, excellent, or impressive," like the best chocolate fudge sundae you've ever had. You might describe a spine-tingling piece of music as "a work of sublime beauty." With the, the word also functions as a noun meaning "something that strikes the mind with a sense of grandeur or power": "Never need an American look beyond his own country for the sublime and beautiful of natural scenery," wrote Washington Irving. The beauty of music or nature can be awe-inspiring, but sublime is also useful for describing everything from an impressive serve in tennis to a jaw-droppingly good taste sensation.
Vocabulary lists containing sublime
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Grade 12, List 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Some of that same intimacy returned when he played a sublime encore, a movement from Bach’s Keyboard Concerto No. 5, with string players from the orchestra.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
Douglas Keeve’s sublime 1995 documentary, “Unzipped,” follows Mizrahi in the aftermath of a train wreck, piecing his reputation back together with his next collection, attempting to make something beautiful from the rubble.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
It was with a sublime backhand winner that Musetti took charge of the second set on his first break point opportunity, before withstanding four break points to hold for a 5-2 lead.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
“When the final whistle blew in the semifinal, I felt like I’d written my name into soccer history by representing my country. It was one of the most sublime moments of my career.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
He realized that it makes people feel good and powerful to feel a part of God, a part of the sublime.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
Likewise, solid carbon dioxide does not melt at 1 atm pressure but instead sublimes to yield gaseous CO2.
From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019
The pentachloride sublimes when warmed and forms an equilibrium with the trichloride and chlorine when heated.
From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019
Dry ice does not melt to a liquid but sublimes directly from the solid state to vapor.
From Time Magazine Archive
Calomel is a white powder which sublimes at a low red heat; it is insoluble in water, alcohol and ether.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 1 "Calhoun" to "Camoens" by Various
It melts at 235–7° C. and sublimes completely at 178° C., though the sublimation starts at 120°.
From All About Coffee by William H. (William Harrison) Ukers
V. Is it play, when his eyes wander innocent-wild And sublimed with a sadness unfitting a child?
From The Poetical Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning Volume II by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
The delicate paleness of her cheeks, the glance that was sublimed into the sweetest melancholy, made me tremble with unspeakable pleasure.
From Tales from the German Comprising specimens from the most celebrated authors by Various
For further purification, it may be sublimed, after having been previously mixed with a little powdered charcoal, or it may be mixed with a small quantity of iodine and heated.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 6 "Armour Plates" to "Arundel, Earls of" by Various
Then a greenish white solid sublimed, and this was found to be aluminic ethylate.
From The Galaxy, Volume 23, No. 2, February, 1877 by Various
Love does not cease to be love because it is sublimed to the quintessence of a self-denying passion.
From Renaissance in Italy: Italian Literature Part 1 (of 2) by John Addington Symonds
But I believe he is chiefly meditating on the purging and subliming of what he has already done: and repents that he has published at all yet.
From Tennyson's Life and Poetry And Mistakes Concerning Tennyson by Eugene Parsons
They were constantly distilling, incinerating, subliming, heating, in order that the spirit, or inner kernel of things, might be obtained.
From The Story of Alchemy and the Beginnings of Chemistry by M. M. Pattison Muir
Oh, yea, the Sun in one subliming rise From Wisdom's infinite mind!
From Freedom, Truth and Beauty by Edward Doyle
That end will not be attained by our authors by subliming Religion into an emotion, and making an armistice with Science.
From Inspiration and Interpretation Seven Sermons Preached Before the University of Oxford by John William Burgon
The subliming furnaces are ranged in a row, and communicate by lines of rails with the weigh-house.
From Scientific American Supplement, No. 458, October 11, 1884 by Various
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
