refined 1 of 2

adjective

ri-ˈfīnd How to pronounce refined (audio)
Definition of refinednext
1
as in evolved
being far along in development a refined analysis of the factors that produce economic wealth in the new global economy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pure
free from added matter refined gold

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in cultured
having or showing a taste for the fine arts and gracious living a refined couple who have hosted many elegant benefits for organizations promoting the arts

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in elegant
having or showing elegance a refined woman with gracious manners

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in subtle
made or done with extreme care and accuracy the dressmaker took a set of quite refined measurements before actually starting work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in exquisite
satisfying or pleasing because of fineness or mildness the chef's refined cuisine is one that true gourmets will appreciate

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in accurate
meeting the highest standard of accuracy this is not a refined calculation of the total number of calories in the dish—just a rough estimate

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

refined

2 of 2

verb

past tense of refine
as in improved
to make better worked on refining her backhand before the big tennis match

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of refined
Adjective
Before Sunday’s final, many had felt that Argentina would need to disrupt a refined Spanish team which has grown in confidence and authority as this World Cup progressed. — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 20 July 2026 The loss of those imports exposed the continent’s reliance on overseas crude, and especially refined products. — Jenny Vaughan, semafor.com, 20 July 2026
Verb
Those procedures were refined over two decades of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, where roadside bombs were a persistent threat to coalition forces. — Steven Beynon, ABC News, 21 July 2026 They have been refined over millions of years to interact with precise biological targets. — Steve Midway, STAT, 16 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for refined
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refined
  1. evolved
  2. pure
  3. cultured
  4. elegant
  5. subtle
  6. exquisite
  7. accurate
  8. improved
Adjective
  • Chef Cristian Medrano’s menu exudes confidence in the form of evolved flavors with every dish.
    — Rafael Peña, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026
  • This evolved mission mandates more than technology alone.
    — Kevin Cohee, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
Definition of evolved
Adjective
  • By the logic of pure procurement, AI bills should be shrinking.
    — Roman Shemet, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • The pure thermal spring water contains postbiotic microflora, which can calm the skin and reduce redness.
    — Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 21 July 2026
Definition of pure
Adjective
  • The necklace is made up of 178 diamonds totaling about 52 carats and another seven South Sea cultured pearls.
    — Marta Martínez Tato, Vanity Fair, 23 July 2026
  • The collapse of the Gulf pearling industry — which began in the late 1920s on the arrival of cheaper Japanese cultured pearls — brought widespread poverty to the region, until the discovery of oil shortly after.
    — Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of cultured
Adjective
  • Her sleek, elegant mini slip dress, the epitome of a timeless LBD.
    — Ali Faccenda, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026
  • This assortment features presentation boxes, gift sets with elegant teaware, a chest of single steeps and more.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 July 2026
Definition of elegant
Adjective
  • One subtle change, however, was his emphasis on spending Year 1 and building a foundation with the Tigers.
    — Seth Emerson, New York Times, 24 July 2026
  • Researchers have since modified other proteins to interact with Cas9 but catalyze more subtle changes to DNA, such as lopping off a single base or making chemical modifications that alter how it base-pairs.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 24 July 2026
Definition of subtle
Adjective
  • Making his solo debut at age 72, the KLF collaborator and longtime Triffids member offers an exquisite picture of the pedal steel’s emotional ambiguity.
    — Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 20 July 2026
  • Eckhardt continues skating in exquisite, small loops, showing her exhaustion at times, through the curtain call.
    — Lauren Oyler, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
Definition of exquisite
Adjective
  • The combination of low-friction actuation, dual joint encoders and minimal backlash enables highly accurate motion control while providing continuous force feedback during manipulation.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 20 July 2026
  • Steering is accurate without being particularly communicative, but that's perfectly appropriate for this car.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 20 July 2026
Definition of accurate
Verb
  • Things slowly improved as drummers were encouraged at Arrowhead, but even a big turnout of 20,000 fans looked tiny in a stadium that could seat four times that number.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 24 July 2026
  • Lathan is one of four returning starters for Kansas and there’s optimism the defense will be improved.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 July 2026
Definition of improved

Browse Nearby Words

refine
refined
refinement
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Refined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refined. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on refined

Nglish: Translation of refined for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of aerie

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All