Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Free from coarseness or vulgarity; polite.
- adjective Free of impurities; purified.
- adjective Precise to a fine degree.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Purified; elevated; cultivated; subtle: as. a refined taste; a refined discrimination; refined society.
- Very exact or precise; perfect or correct in details.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Freed from impurities or alloy; purifed; polished; cultured; delicate; as;
refined gold;refined language;refined sentiments.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Showing or having good feelings or good taste.
- adjective An absence of
coarseness . - adjective Not
vulgar . - adjective Without
impurities . - verb Simple past tense and past participle of
refine .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective showing a high degree of refinement and the assurance that comes from wide social experience
- adjective free from what is tawdry or unbecoming
- adjective suggesting taste, ease, and wealth
- adjective freed from impurities by processing
- adjective (used of persons and their behavior) cultivated and genteel
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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These soft-spoken elements are what I call refined.
Thom Filicia Style Thom Filicia 2008
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You come along with me and I'll introduce you (he's not what you call a refined sort of feller, yer know, 'he explained forbearingly,' but still we've always been friends in a way); you can't stop?
The Giant's Robe F. Anstey 1895
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"He was very refined in his conversation -- at least, what I call refined -- for he was one of those persons in whose society one is comfortable from the certainty that they will never say anything which can shock other people, or hurt their feelings, be they ever so fastidious or sensitive."
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Webster’s defines the word refined as “free from impurities.”
Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy M.D. Walter C. Willett 2005
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Webster’s defines the word refined as “free from impurities.”
Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy M.D. Walter C. Willett 2005
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Several cotton blouses looked refined from the front, but left the back bare — a trick he used in this season's No. 21 line as well.
Imagining the Brioni Woman Christina Binkley 2010
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However, Norman Residence is an exotic-looking wooden house covered not only in refined cedar but also in glass and hardipanel.
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Mr. McCain refined his position to focus on securing the borders first before tackling other immigration questions.
McCain Ad Reaches Out to Hispanics - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com 2008
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However, Norman Residence is an exotic-looking wooden house covered not only in refined cedar but also in glass and hardipanel.
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I had to jump over to the dictionary to look up the word refined to make sure we are all on the same page.
madmouth commented on the word refined
"...
they speak whatever's on their mind
they do whatever's in their pants
the boys i mean are not refined
they shake the mountains when they dance"
e.e. cummings
September 16, 2009