refine

Verb

Verb Forms: refined, refining, refines

• To free from impurities; to improve by subtle changes.
• improve or perfect by pruning or polishing
  • "refine one's style of writing"
• make more complex, intricate, or richer
  • "refine a design or pattern"
• treat or prepare so as to put in a usable condition
  • "refine paper stock"
  • "refine pig iron"
  • "refine oil"
• reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; separate from extraneous matter or cleanse from impurities
  • "refine sugar"
• attenuate or reduce in vigor, strength, or validity by polishing or purifying
  • "many valuable nutrients are refined out of the foods in our modern diet"
• make more precise or increase the discriminatory powers of
  • "refine a method of analysis"
  • "refine the constant in the equation"
• To purify; reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities.
• To become pure; to be cleared of impure matter.
• To purify of coarseness, vulgarity, inelegance, etc.; to polish.
• To improve in accuracy, delicacy, or excellence.
• To make nice or subtle.

Examples

• a refined style
• Elite Scrabble players constantly refine their word knowledge and strategy.
• to refine a language
• to refine gold
• to refine iron
• to refine one's tastes
• to refine someone's language
• to refine someone's manners
• to refine sugar
• to refine thought
• to refine wine

Synonyms

complicate, down, elaborate, fine-tune, polish, rarify, rectify