REFINEMENT • DICTIONARY ONE.COM • Definition of Refinement

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/rəfˈaɪnmənt/ Listen

noun

Refinement n.

The act of refining, or the state of being refined; as, the refinement or metals; refinement of ideas. "The more bodies are of kin to spirit in subtilty and refinement, the more diffusive are they." "From the civil war to this time, I doubt whether the corruptions in our language have not equaled its refinements."

That which is refined, elaborated, or polished to excess; an affected subtilty; as, refinements of logic. "The refinements of irregular cunning."

Synonyms: Purification; polish; politeness; gentility; elegance; cultivation; civilization.

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Etymology of 'Refinement'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Refinement" Quotes from Famous Books

... moderated. Nor shall your title of citizenship exclude you from worlds of imagination or of devotion. The Comic spirit is not hostile to the sweetest songfully poetic. Chaucer bubbles with it: Shakespeare overflows: there is a mild moon's ray of it (pale with super-refinement through distance from our flesh and blood planet) in Comus. Pope has it, and it is the daylight side of the night half obscuring Cowper. It is only hostile to the priestly element, when that, by baleful swelling, transcends ...

— The Shaving of Shagpat • George Meredith

... and refinement of the English language follows the writings of Howard, Earl of Surrey, and Sir ...

— The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 9 • Various

... 26, he wrote to Coleridge: "I have a sort of a recollection that somebody, I think you, promised me a sight of Wordsworth's tragedy. I shall be very glad of it just now, for I have got Manning with me, and should like to read it with him. But this, I confess, is a refinement. Under any circumstances, alone, in Cold-Bath Prison, or in the desert island, just when Prospero and his crew had set off, with Caliban in a cage, to Milan, it would be a treat to me to read that play. Manning has read it, so has Lloyd, and all Lloyd's family; ...

— The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth - Volume 1 of 8 • Edited by William Knight

... compelled the owners of manorial houses to shut their doors on uninvited guests. The jovial coarse hospitality of those times delighted in a crowded board; the extensive household daily required ample provision, and refinement was too little advanced from its earliest stage to make nice arrangement or rare delicacies necessary to an esquire's table. Such a guest therefore as Evellin, was eagerly sought and warmly welcomed. He joined with the ...

— The Loyalists, Vol. 1-3 - An Historical Novel • Jane West

... an employment appropriate to all classes, ages, and conditions. No yard connected with a dwelling is complete without a flower-bed. The cultivation of flowers is eminently promotive of health, refinement of manners, and good taste. Constant familiarity with the most exquisite beauties of nature must refine the feelings and produce gentleness of spirit. Association with flowers should be a part of every child's education. Their cultivation is suitable for children ...

— Soil Culture • J. H. Walden

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