REFINEMENT • FREE TRANSLATOR.ORG • Definition of Refinement

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/rəfˈaɪnmənt/ Listen

noun

Refinement n.

The act of refining, or the state of being refined; as, the refinement or metals; refinement of ideas. "The more bodies are of kin to spirit in subtilty and refinement, the more diffusive are they." "From the civil war to this time, I doubt whether the corruptions in our language have not equaled its refinements."

That which is refined, elaborated, or polished to excess; an affected subtilty; as, refinements of logic. "The refinements of irregular cunning."

Synonyms: Purification; polish; politeness; gentility; elegance; cultivation; civilization.

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Etymology of 'Refinement'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Refinement" Quotes from Famous Books

... surroundings which stood for her deepest affinities—the room for which she had left that other room—she was startled by the same sense of strangeness and unfamiliarity. The prints, the flowers, the subdued tones of the old porcelains, seemed to typify a superficial refinement that had no relation to the ...

— The Descent of Man and Other Stories • Edith Wharton

... had certainly always thought her astonishingly lady—like for a peasant girl, but attributed this to the superior refinement of ...

— The Dodge Club - or, Italy in 1859 • James De Mille

... of every woman having a thorough knowledge of domestic economy cannot be too strongly insisted on. The false refinement which, of late years, has considered an acquaintance with domestic matters to be only suitable for servants, has been fraught with the most disastrous consequences. This may seem strong language, but it is not too strong. All sanitary reformers ...

— The Skilful Cook - A Practical Manual of Modern Experience • Mary Harrison

... lose something certainly, but do we not gain something also? Do we not gain just what Whitman had in view, namely, direct contact with the elements in which are the sources of our life and health? Do we not gain in scope and power what we lose in art and refinement? ...

— Whitman - A Study • John Burroughs

... upon a pine table over which hung, incongruously enough, a large electric light. "Austin is apparently blind to everything but her beauty, which is really noticeable, not that it matters. What is mere beauty beside such refinement as Sally's, for instance, how far will it go with OUR FRIENDS when they discover that Austin's wife is an untrained, common little country girl? Even when I tell you that she uses such words as 'swell,' and 'perfect lady,' and that ...

— Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby and Other Stories • Kathleen Norris

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