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View synonyms for subtilize

subtilize

[ suht-l-ahyz, suhb-tuh-lahyz ]

verb (used with object)

, sub·til·ized, sub·til·iz·ing.
  1. to elevate in character; sublimate.
  2. to make (the mind, senses, etc.) keen or discerning; sharpen.
  3. to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.
  4. to make thin, rare, or more fluid or volatile; refine.


verb (used without object)

, sub·til·ized, sub·til·iz·ing.
  1. to make subtle distinctions or to argue subtly.

subtilize

/ ˈsʌtɪˌlaɪz /

verb

  1. tr to bring to a purer state; refine
  2. to debate subtly
  3. tr to make (the mind, etc) keener
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Derived Forms

  • ˌsubtiliˈzation, noun
  • ˈsubtilˌizer, noun
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Other Words From

  • subtil·i·zation noun
  • subtil·izer noun
  • super·subtil·ized adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of subtilize1

1585–95; < Medieval Latin subtīlizāre, equivalent to subtīl ( is ) subtle + -izāre -ize
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Example Sentences

Hecht refined and subtilized the banter of the old screwball comedies into ironic japery, and Hitchcock directed with an unparalleled mastery of sexual tension.

The spiritual comprehension may be infinitely subtilized, but the raw material it operates upon must remain.

But the men's shoddy is merely a horror, whereas woman transfigures and subtilizes the cheap material.

The risk in subtilizing stage character lies just here.

Theosophy—and a large share of what is called theology—is simply a refining and subtilizing of mythology.

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subtilisinsubtilty