subtilize
to elevate in character; sublimate.
to make (the mind, senses, etc.) keen or discerning; sharpen.
to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.
to make thin, rare, or more fluid or volatile; refine.
to make subtle distinctions or to argue subtly.
Origin of subtilize
1- Also especially British, sub·til·ise .
Other words from subtilize
- sub·til·i·za·tion, noun
- sub·til·iz·er, noun
- su·per·sub·til·ized, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use subtilize in a sentence
By subtilizing every thing, the modern theologian becomes as unintelligible to himself as to others.
Good Sense | Paul Henri Thiry, Baron D'HolbachBut Mr. Arabin went on subtilizing, regarding neither the archdeacon's raillery nor Eleanor's defence.
Barchester Towers | Anthony TrollopeIn them there is no subtilizing of human affections, of human fears, or of human faith.
By subtilizing, the modern theologian becomes as little intelligible to himself as to others.
Superstition In All Ages (1732) | Jean MeslierNay; in genuine biographies I had read of the subtilizing or exalting influence of some diseases on the mental powers.
The Lifted Veil | George Eliot
British Dictionary definitions for subtilize
subtilise
/ (ˈsʌtɪˌlaɪz) /
(tr) to bring to a purer state; refine
to debate subtly
(tr) to make (the mind, etc) keener
Derived forms of subtilize
- subtilization or subtilisation, noun
- subtilizer or subtiliser, noun
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
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