sublimate

[ verb suhb-luh-meyt; noun adjective suhb-luh-mit, -meyt ]

verb (used with object)

, sub·li·mat·ed, sub·li·mat·ing.

1. Psychology. to divert the energy of (a sexual or other biological impulse) from its immediate goal to one of a more acceptable social, moral, or aesthetic nature or use.
2. Chemistry.
   1. to sublime (a solid substance); extract by this process.
   2. to refine or purify (a substance).
3. to make nobler or purer:

   To read about great men sublimates ambition.

verb (used without object)

, sub·li·mat·ed, sub·li·mat·ing.

1. to become sublimated; undergo sublimation.

noun

1. Chemistry. the crystals, deposit, or material obtained when a substance is sublimated.

adjective

1. purified or exalted; sublimated.

sublimate

/ ˈsʌblɪˌmeɪt; ˈsʌbləməbəl /

verb

1. psychol to direct the energy of (a primitive impulse, esp a sexual one) into activities that are considered to be socially more acceptable
2. tr to make purer; refine

noun

1. chem the material obtained when a substance is sublimed

adjective

1. exalted or purified

Derived Forms

• sublimable, adjective

Other Words From

• sub·li·ma·ble [suhb, -l, uh, -m, uh, -b, uh, l], adjective
• subli·ma·ble·ness noun
• subli·mation noun
• de·subli·mate verb (used with object) desublimated desublimating
• re·subli·mate verb (used with object) resublimated resublimating
• super·subli·mated adjective
• un·subli·mated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sublimate¹

1425–75; late Middle English: exalted, sublimated < Latin sublīmātus (past participle of sublīmāre to elevate), equivalent to sublīm ( is ) sublime + -ātus -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of sublimate¹

C16: from Latin sublīmāre to elevate, from sublīmis lofty; see sublime

Example Sentences

“And I think that there’s a way in which we can kind of sublimate our own stuff by feeling like, ‘If I can just get to the bottom of why that guy or that person did that thing, maybe I could uncover some universal human truth and I could make sure that I never found myself in a situation like that again.’”

From Los Angeles Times

We have to sublimate a lot of emotions into our sports teams because we’re repressed.

From Los Angeles Times

She pulled him up, brushed him off and transitioned him into a life where he would sublimate his addictive impulses into steady work.

From Los Angeles Times

"We are basically saying that Arrokoth is so super cold that for more ice to sublimate -- or go directly from solid to a gas, skipping the liquid phase within it -- that the gas it sublimates into first has to have travel outwards through its porous, sponge-like interior," Birch said.

From Science Daily

"The trick is that to move the gas, you also have to sublimate the ice, so what you get is a domino effect: it gets colder within Arrokoth, less ice sublimates, less gas moves, it gets even colder, and so on. Eventually, everything just effectively shuts off, and you're left with an object full of gas that is just slowly trickling out."

From Science Daily

Related Words

• repress