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Refinement   /rəfˈaɪnmənt/   Listen
Refinement

noun
1.
A highly developed state of perfection; having a flawless or impeccable quality.  Synonyms: cultivation, culture, finish, polish.  "I admired the exquisite refinement of his prose" , "Almost an inspiration which gives to all work that finish which is almost art"
2.
The result of improving something.  Synonym: elaboration.
3.
The process of removing impurities (as from oil or metals or sugar etc.).  Synonyms: purification, refining.
4.
A subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude.  Synonyms: nicety, nuance, shade, subtlety.  "Don't argue about shades of meaning"
5.
The quality of excellence in thought and manners and taste.  Synonyms: civilisation, civilization.  "He is remembered for his generosity and civilization"






WordNet 3.0 © 2010 Princeton University








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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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