sublimate

American  

[suhb-luh-meyt, suhb-luh-mit, -meyt] / ˈsʌb ləˌmeɪt, ˈsʌb lə mɪt, -ˌmeɪt /

verb (used with object)

sublimated, sublimating

1. Psychology. to divert the energy of (a sexual or other biological impulse) from its immediate goal to one of a more acceptable social, moral, or aesthetic nature or use.

2. Chemistry.

   1. to sublime (a solid substance); extract by this process.

   2. to refine or purify (a substance).

3. to make nobler or purer.

   To read about great men sublimates ambition.

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verb (used without object)

sublimated, sublimating

1. to become sublimated; undergo sublimation.

noun

1. Chemistry. the crystals, deposit, or material obtained when a substance is sublimated.

adjective

1. purified or exalted; sublimated.

sublimate British  

/ ˈsʌblɪˌmeɪt, ˈsʌbləməbəl /

verb

1. psychol to direct the energy of (a primitive impulse, esp a sexual one) into activities that are considered to be socially more acceptable

2. (tr) to make purer; refine

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noun

1. chem the material obtained when a substance is sublimed

adjective

1. exalted or purified

Other Word Forms

• desublimate verb (used with object)
• resublimate verb (used with object)
• sublimable adjective
• sublimableness noun
• sublimation noun
• supersublimated adjective
• unsublimated adjective

Etymology

Origin of sublimate

1425–75; late Middle English: exalted, sublimated < Latin sublīmātus (past participle of sublīmāre to elevate), equivalent to sublīm ( is ) sublime + -ātus -ate ¹

Explanation

When you're at a lecture and you feel restless, you've got to sublimate the desire to move around. That means you force the desire to be more subtle so you can continue listening — even if you don't want to. Psychologists use the verb sublimate to describe the process of channeling intense energy into something useful or appropriate. Freud sublimated his desire to live at home with his mother, and he moved into his own apartment. Sublimate is related to the word sublime — both words come from the Latin word sublimare, which means "to raise up" or "to exalt." So Freud's finally getting his own place is, arguably, a superior — a more exalted — living situation.

Example Sentences

It almost feels like some kind of test, where you are forced to sublimate your wishes and, perhaps, your self respect.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 5, 2026

We have to sublimate a lot of emotions into our sports teams because we’re repressed.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 24, 2024

Rama says in a class she is teaching that the power of narrative is to sublimate reality.

From Salon • Jan. 9, 2023

Halloween may be over, but if you ask me carving a gourd still seems like a good way to sublimate creeping dread.

From Slate • Nov. 4, 2022

A grain of the sublimate in a pint or more of water, with a drachm of table-salt, will be found both mild and efficient.

From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various

Related Words

• repress