refined
Americanadjective
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having or showing well-bred feeling, taste, etc..
refined people.
-
freed or free from coarseness, vulgarity, etc..
refined taste.
-
freed from impurities.
refined sugar.
- Synonyms:
- distilled
-
very subtle, precise, or exact.
refined distinctions.
adjective
-
not coarse or vulgar; genteel, elegant, or polite
-
subtle; discriminating
-
freed from impurities; purified
Other Word Forms
- half-refined adjective
- nonrefined adjective
- quasi-refined adjective
- refinedly adverb
- refinedness noun
- semirefined adjective
- superrefined adjective
- ultrarefined adjective
- well-refined adjective
Etymology
Origin of refined
Explanation
Something that's refined has gone through a process to remove impurities. An oil refinery removes impurities from oil. When a person's refined, they have good manners and good taste. A stereotypically refined lady will drink tea every day at four in the afternoon, lift her pinky while drinking, and select only refined (pure white, not raw) sugar as a sweetener. Someone with a refined taste in art has learned how to make judgments about what is good and what they like.
Vocabulary lists containing refined
The Diary of Anne Frank
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Chains
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A Streetcar Named Desire
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The country’s largest carrier said demand for flights to Europe remained strong, but flagged a big hit from surging jet refining margins, which is the difference in price between crude oil and refined jet fuel.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
Previous school food standards introduced in 2015 also included fruit and vegetable requirements, limiting sugar in drinks, and an emphasis on wholegrain foods instead of refined carbohydrates, like white bread or pasta.
From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026
It raises an obvious question: how can a relatively simple, low-cost material compete with highly refined silicon technology developed over decades?
From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2026
Some of his ideas will need to get refined and will be constrained financially at the city and state level.
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
“This may not be as refined as you’re used to,” she apologized, “but it’s what we have in the house.”
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
