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refined

 - 7 dictionary results

re⋅fined

  [ri-fahynd]
–adjective
1. having or showing well-bred feeling, taste, etc.: refined people.
2. freed or free from coarseness, vulgarity, etc.: refined taste.
3. freed from impurities: refined sugar.
4. very subtle, precise, or exact: refined distinctions.
Use refined in a Sentence
Origin:
1565–75; refine + -ed 2

Related forms:
re⋅fin⋅ed⋅ly  [ri-fahy-nid-lee, -fahynd-] , adverb
re⋅fin⋅ed⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. cultivated, polished, polite, courteous, civilized, courtly, genteel, elegant. 3. clarified, distilled, purified.

Antonyms:
1. rude, coarse, crude.

re⋅fine

  [ri-fahyn] verb, -fined, -fin⋅ing.
–verb (used with object)
1. to bring to a fine or a pure state; free from impurities: to refine metal, sugar, or petroleum.
2. to purify from what is coarse, vulgar, or debasing; make elegant or cultured.
3. to bring to a finer state or form by purifying.
4. to make more fine, subtle, or precise: to refine one's writing style.
–verb (used without object)
5. to become pure.
6. to become more fine, elegant, or polished.
7. to make fine distinctions in thought or language.
—Verb phrase
8. refine on or upon, to improve by inserting finer distinctions, superior elements, etc.: to refine on one's previous work.
Origin:
1575–85; re- + fine 1

Related forms:
re⋅fin⋅a⋅ble, adjective
re⋅fin⋅er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To refined
re·fine   (rĭ-fīn')   
v.   re·fined, re·fin·ing, re·fines

v.   tr.

  1. To reduce to a pure state; purify.

  2. To remove by purifying.

  3. To free from coarse, unsuitable, or immoral characteristics: refined his manners; refined her speaking style.

v.   intr.

  1. To become free of impurities.

  2. To acquire polish or elegance.

  3. To use precise distinctions and subtlety in thought or speech.

re·fin'er n.
re·fined   (rĭ-fīnd')   
adj.  

  1. Free from coarseness or vulgarity; polite.

  2. Free of impurities; purified.

  3. Precise to a fine degree.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

refine 
1582, of metals, 1588 of manners, from re-, intensive prefix + obs. fine (v.) "make fine," from fine (adj.) "delicate" (q.v.). Cf. Fr. raffiner, It. raffinare, Sp. refinar. General and fig. sense is recorded from 1596; of sugar, from 1613. Refinery in various senses is first recorded 1727. Refinement "act or process of refining" is from 1611; meaning "fineness of feeling" is from 1708.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: re·fine
Pronunciation: ri-'fIn
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: re·fined; re·fin·ing
: tofree (as sugar or oil) from impurities or unwanted material
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source

refine re·fine (rĭ-fīn')
v. re·fined, re·fin·ing, re·fines
To reduce to a pure state; purify.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
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