refinement

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: re=fine=ment
• COUNT in NET: 1 in 1 verses (in OT : 1 in 1 verses)

CIDE DICTIONARY

refinement, n. [Cf. F. raffinement.].

•  The act of refining, or the state of being refined; as, the refinement or metals; refinement of ideas.  [1913 Webster]

  "The more bodies are of kin to spirit in subtilty and refinement, the more diffusive are they."  [1913 Webster]

  "From the civil war to this time, I doubt whether the corruptions in our language have not equaled its refinements."  [1913 Webster]
•  That which is refined, elaborated, or polished to excess; an affected subtilty; as, refinements of logic.  Rogers.  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- Purification; polish; politeness; gentility; elegance; cultivation; civilization.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

refinement, n.
1 the act of refining or the process of being refined.
2 fineness of feeling or taste.
3 polish or elegance in behaviour or manner.
4 an added development or improvement (a car with several refinements).
5 a piece of subtle reasoning.
6 a fine distinction.
7 a subtle or ingenious example or display (all the refinements of reasoning).

Etymology

REFINE + -MENT, after F raffinement

THESAURUS

refinement

Atticism, ablation, abrasion, absoluteness, abstraction, acculturation, accuracy, acquired taste, appreciation, appreciation of differences, appreciation of excellence, appreciativeness, appropriateness, artistic judgment, attention to detail, attention to fact, beautification, bettering, betterment, bolting, breeding, care for truth, chasteness, chastity, choiceness, circumstantiality, civility, civilization, civilized taste, civilizedness, clarification, clarifying, clarity, classicalism, classicism, cleaning, cleansing, clearness, colature, comeliness, concentrate, concentration, connoisseurship, conscientiousness, correctness, courtesy, courtliness, critical niceness, criticality, criticalness, cultivated taste, cultivation, culture, daintiness, decoction, deduction, delicacy, delicate distinction, delicateness, destructive distillation, detail, development, differentia, differential, dignity, diplomacy, directness, discernment, discriminating taste, discriminatingness, discrimination, discriminativeness, disentanglement, disinvolvement, distillate, distillation, distinction, down, downiness, ease, education, edulcoration, elaboration, elegance, elegancy, elixir, elution, elutriation, embellishment, enculturation, enhancement, enlightenment, erosion, essence, essentialization, evolution, exactingness, exactitude, exactness, excellence, exquisiteness, extract, extraction, faithfulness, fastidiousness, faultlessness, feel, feeling, felicitousness, felicity, fidelity, filminess, filtering, filtration, fine palate, fine point, fine-grainedness, fineness, finesse, finicality, finicalness, finickiness, finickingness, finish, fittingness, flawlessness, flow, flowing periods, fluency, fluff, fluffiness, fussiness, fuzz, fuzziness, genteelness, gentility, gentlemanlikeness, gentlemanliness, gentleness, good breeding, good taste, gossameriness, grace, gracefulness, gracility, graciosity, graciousness, hairline, improvement, infusion, judiciousness, ladylikeness, leaching, limpidity, literalism, literality, literalness, lixiviation, lucidity, making distinctions, margin, mathematical precision, maturation, meticulousness, minuteness, minutia, narrow margin, narrowing, naturalness, neatness, nice distinction, niceness, niceness of distinction, nicety, nuance, palate, particle of difference, particularity, particularness, peach fuzz, pellucidity, percolation, perfection, perspicuity, plainness, point of difference, polish, politeness, politesse, preciseness, precisianism, precision, propriety, pubescence, punctiliousness, punctuality, purification, purifying, purity, quality, quintessence, refined discrimination, refined palate, refining, removal, restraint, riddling, right, rightness, rigidity, rigidness, rigor, rigorousness, ripening, satin, satininess, screening, scrupulosity, scrupulousness, seasoning, seemliness, selectiveness, sense, sensibility, sensitivity, separation, severity, shade of difference, sieving, sifting, silk, silkiness, simplicity, simplification, smoothness, socialization, softness, sophistication, spirit, spiritualization, straightforwardness, straining, streamlining, strictness, stripping, stripping down, suaveness, suavity, subduction, sublation, sublimation, subtle distinction, subtlety, subtraction, tact, tactfulness, taste, tastefulness, terseness, textualism, the letter, unaffectedness, uncluttering, unscrambling, unsnarling, urbanity, velvet, velvetiness, wide margin, winnowing

ROGET THESAURUS

refinement

Improvement

N improvement, amelioration, melioration, betterment, mend, amendment, emendation, mending, advancement, advance, ascent, promotion, preferment, elevation, increase, cultivation, civilization, culture, march of intellect, menticulture, race-culture, eugenics, reform, reformation, revision, radical reform, second thoughts, correction, limoe labor, refinement, elaboration, purification, oxidation, repair, recovery, revise, new edition, reformer, radical, improving, progressive, improved, better, better off, better for, all the better for, better advised, reformatory, emendatory, reparatory, remedial, corrigible, improvable, accultural, on consideration, on reconsideration, on second thoughts, on better advice, ad melius inquirendum, urbent latericiam invenit marmoream reliquit.

Beauty

N beauty, the beautiful, to kalon, le beau ideal, aesthetics, callaesthetics, pulchritude, form, elegance, grace, beauty unadorned, natural beauty, symmetry, comeliness, fairness, polish, gloss, good effect, good looks, belle tournure, trigness, bloom, brilliancy, radiance, splendor, gorgeousness, magnificence, sublimity, sublimification, concinnity, delicacy, refinement, charm, je ne sais quoi, style, Venus, Aphrodite, Hebe, the Graces, Peri, Houri, Cupid, Apollo, Hyperion, Adonis, Antionous, Narcissus, peacock, butterfly, garden, flower of, pink of, bijou, jewel, work of art, flower, flow'ret gay, wildflower, rose, lily, anemone, asphodel, buttercup, crane's bill, daffodil, tulip, tiger lily, day lily, begonia, marigold, geranium, lily of the valley, ranunculus, rhododendron, windflower, pleasurableness, beautifying, landscaping, landscape gardening, decoration, calisthenics, beauty, hunk (of men), beautiful, beauteous, handsome, gorgeous, pretty, lovely, graceful, elegant, prepossessing, attractive, delicate, dainty, refined, fair, personable, comely, seemly, bonny, good-looking, well-favored, well-made, well-formed, well- proportioned, proper, shapely, symmetrical, harmonious, sightly, fit to be seen, passable, not amiss, goodly, dapper, tight, jimp, gimp, janty, jaunty, trig, natty, quaint, trim, tidy, neat, spruce, smart, tricksy, bright, bright eyed, rosy cheeked, cherry cheeked, rosy, ruddy, blooming, in full bloom, brilliant, shining, beamy, beaming, sparkling, splendid, resplendent, dazzling, glowing, glossy, sleek, rich, superb, magnificent, grand, fine, sublime, showy, specious, artistic, artistical, aesthetic, picturesque, pictorial, fait a peindre, well-composed, well grouped, well varied, curious, enchanting becoming, ornamental, undeformed, undefaced, unspotted, spotless, auxilium non leve vultus habet, beauty born of murmuring sound, flowers preach to us if we will hear, gratior ac pulchro veniens in corpore virtus, none but the brave deserve the fair, thou who hast the fatal gift of beauty.

Taste

N taste, good taste, refined taste, cultivated taste, delicacy, refinement, fine feeling, gust, gusto, tact, finesse, nicety, to prepon, polish, elegance, grace, judgment, discernment, dilettantism, dilettanteism, virtu, fine art, culture, cultivation, aesthetics, man of taste, connoisseur, judge, critic, conoscente, virtuoso, amateur, dilettante, Aristarchus, Corinthian, arbiter elegantiarum, stagirite, euphemist, caviare to the general, in good taste, cute, tasteful, tasty, unaffected, pure, chaste, classical, attic, cultivated, refined, dainty, esthetic, aesthetic, artistic, elegant, euphemistic, to one's taste, to one's mind, after one's fancy, comme il faut, tire a quatre epingles, elegantly, nihil tetigit quod non ornavit, chacun a son gout, oculi pictura tenentur aures cantibus, taste, flavor, gust, gusto, savor, gout, relish, sapor, sapidity, twang, smack, smatch, aftertaste, tang, tasting, degustation, gustation, palate, tongue, tooth, stomach, sapid, saporific, gustable, gustatory, gustful, strong, gamy, palatable.

Discrimination

N discrimination, distinction, differentiation, diagnosis, diorism, nice perception, perception of difference, appreciation of difference, estimation, nicety, refinement, taste, critique, judgment, tact, discernment, acuteness, penetration, nuances, dope, past performances, discriminating, dioristic, discriminative, distinctive, nice, il y a fagots et fagots, rem acu tetigisti, la critique est aisee et l'art est difficile, miles apart, a distinction without a difference.

Wisdom

N intelligence, wisdom, intelligence, capacity, comprehension, understanding, cuteness, sabe, savvy, intellect, nous, parts, sagacity, mother wit, wit, esprit, gumption, quick parts, grasp of intellect, acuteness, acumen, subtlety, penetration, perspicacy, perspicacity, discernment, due sense of, good judgment, discrimination, cunning, refinement, head, brains, headpiece, upper story, long head, eagle eye, eagle- glance, eye of a lynx, eye of a hawk, wisdom, sapience, sense, good sense, common sense, horse sense, plain sense, rationality, reason, reasonableness, judgment, solidity, depth, profundity, caliber, enlarged views, reach of thought, compass of thought, enlargement of mind, genius, inspiration, geist, fire of genius, heaven-born genius, soul, talent, prudence, vigilance, tact, foresight, sobriety, self-possession, aplomb, ballast, a bright thought, not a bad idea, Solomon-like wisdom, intelligent, quick of apprehension, keen, acute, alive, brainy, awake, bright, quick, sharp, quick witted, keen witted, clear witted, sharp-eyed, sharp sighted, sharp witted, wide- awake, canny, shrewd, astute, clear-headed, farsighted, discerning, perspicacious, penetrating, piercing, argute, quick-witted, nimble-witted, needle-witted, sharp as a needle, sharp as a tack, alive to, clever, arch, pas si bete, acute, wise, sage, sapient, sagacious, reasonable, rational, sound, in one's right mind, sensible, abnormis sapiens, judicious, strong- minded, unprejudiced, unbiased, unbigoted, unprepossessed, undazzled, unperplexed, unwarped judgment, impartial, equitable, fair, cool, cool-headed, long-headed, hardheaded, strong-headed, long- sighted, calculating, thoughtful, reflecting, solid, deep, profound, oracular, heaven-directed, heaven-born, prudent, sober, stand, solid, considerate, politic, wise in one's generation, watchful, provident, in advance of one' age, wise as a serpent, wise as Solomon, wise as Solon, wise, sensible, reasonable, judicious, well- thought-out, well-planned, well-judged, well-advised, prudent, politic, expedient, aut regem aut fatuum nasci oportet, but with the morning cool reflection came, flosculi sententiarum, les affaires font les hommes, mas vale saber que haber, mas vale ser necio que profiadol nemo solus sapit, nosce te, gnothi seauton, nullum magnum ingenium sine mixtura dementiae fuit, sapere aude, victrix fortunae sapientia.