refinement

noun re·fine·ment \ ri-ˈfīn-mənt \

|Updated on: 18 Jun 2018

Examples: refinement in a Sentence

Definition of refinement

1 : the action or process of refining

2 : the quality or state of being refined : cultivation

3 a : a refined feature or method

b : a highly refined distinction : subtlety

c : a contrivance or device intended to improve or perfect

See refinement defined for English-language learners

See refinement defined for kids

Examples of refinement in a Sentence

the recent refinements in this area of medical technology
had a sense of refinement that her small hometown couldn't satisfy, so she moved to New York City to be closer to great museums and concert halls

Recent Examples of refinement from the Web

Collins conjectures that further refinements could bypass the need for laboratory processing.

— richard conniff, Scientific American, "New Probiotic Cholera Vaccine Can Outrace the Infection’s Rapid Spread," 13 June 2018
Setting them up was like making two calls, one on a rotary phone and another on an iPhone: fundamentally the same experience yet wildly disparate in terms of refinement.

— Outside Online, "Riding 100 Miles* on a 102-Year-Old Bike," 12 June 2018
Considering the concept was hand-built, the level of refinement was remarkable.

— tom voelk, New York Times, "Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo Review: ‘Silence Is the New Power’," 6 June 2018
But there will always be a car company that is willing to introduce something new, and that continual refinement is key to keeping the internal combustion engine relevant in the years ahead.

— blake z. rong, Popular Mechanics, "The Evolution of the Combustion Engine," 5 June 2018
But for American supporters of mass transit, such refinements may take a back seat to the chronic underinvestment that has left systems including the New York subway and Amtrak an increasingly unsafe and inefficient mess.

— david z. morris, Fortune, "These Subtle Psychological Hacks Keep Japan's Trains Running Smoothly," 27 May 2018
Second-year center Joel Embiid, who played in only 31 games last season, lacks the repertoire and the refinement to carry a team for four quarters.

— marcus hayes, Philly.com, "Young Sixers team isn't ready to compete with disciplined Celtics | Marcus Hayes," 7 May 2018
At any rate, its closure could simply mean North Korean engineers are satisfied with the design of their nuclear devices and thus no longer need to test, or that a second facility could be set up were further refinement required.

— charlie campbell, Time, "'The Korean War Is Over.' Kim Jong Un Begins 'Writing a New History' as the First North Korean Leader to Visit the South," 27 Apr. 2018
The judges loved Chris’s dish but the refinement was needed.

— luis miguel echegaray, SI.com, "Talkin' Top Chef, Episode 11: Baking at 12,000 Feet," 15 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'refinement.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of refinement

circa 1611

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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refinement Synonyms

REFINEMENT Defined for English Language Learners

refinement

noun

Definition of refinement for English Language Learners

: the act or process of removing unwanted substances from something : the act or process of making something pure
: the act or process of improving something
: an improved version of something