Refined — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /ri-ˈfīnd/ re·fined

Meaning & Definition of Refined

Refined (adjective)

  1. free from impurities
  2. fastidious, cultivated
  3. precise, exact

Refined (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. being far along in development

    "a refined analysis of the factors that produce economic wealth in the new global economy"

    similar: advanced, developed, evolved, forward, high, higher, improved, late, progressive
    related: precocious, full-blown, full-fledged, full-scale, aged, grown, mature, matured, perfected, ripe, ripened, civilized, educated, enhanced, enlightened, contemporary, current, cutting-edge, latest, leading-edge, mod, modern, new, newest, newfangled, new-fashioned, novel, now, present-day, recent, space-age, supermodern, ultramodern, up-to-date
    opposite: backward, low, lower, nonprogressive, primitive, rude, rudimentary, undeveloped
    near: green, immature, underdeveloped, undersized, underweight, unripe, unripened, savage, uncivilized, uneducated, early, embryonic, germinal, primeval, primordial, antediluvian, antiquated, antique, dated, fusty, hoary, musty, Neanderthal, obsolete, old, oldfangled, old-fashioned, old-time, out-of-date, outworn, passé, past

  2. free from added matter

    "refined gold"

    similar: absolute, fine, neat, plain, pure, purified, straight, unadulterated, unalloyed, undiluted, unmixed
    related: clarified, filtered, clean, fresh, taintless, uncontaminated, uncorrupted, undefiled, unpolluted, untainted, rendered, tried, concentrated, full-bodied, strong, uncombined
    opposite: adulterated, alloyed, diluted, impure, mixed
    near: befouled, besmirched, contaminated, corrupted, debased, defiled, fouled, polluted, soiled, spoiled, sullied, tainted, unclarified, amalgamated, blended, coalesced, combined, commingled, compounded, incorporated, intermingled, intermixed, merged, mingled, conjoined, fused, joined, linked, united, cheapened, doctored, watered-down

  3. 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"

    similar: accomplished, civilized, couth, cultivated, cultured, genteel, polished
    related: cerebral, highbrow, highbrowed, high-toned, intellectual, intellectualist, intellectualistic, educated, erudite, knowledgeable, learned, literate, scholarly, well-read, civil, courteous, mannerly, polite, well-bred, cosmopolitan, sophisticated, urbane, hypercivilized, overcivilized, oversophisticated
    opposite: barbaric, barbarous, philistine, uncivilized, uncultured, ungenteel, unpolished, unrefined
    near: ignorant, illiterate, uneducated, unlettered, lowbrow, unintelligent, coarse, ill-bred, ill-mannered, backwoods, provincial, rustic, inelegant, polyester, unsophisticated, boorish, churlish, cloddish, clownish, crude, uncouth, vulgar

  4. having or showing elegance

    "a refined woman with gracious manners"

    similar: classy, courtly, elegant, fine, graceful, handsome, majestic, stately, tasteful
    related: august, baronial, gallant, glorious, grand, heroic, imposing, lavish, luxurious, magnificent, monumental, noble, ornate, proud, regal, rich, royal, splendid, superb, artful, genteel, polished, sophisticated, classic, conservative, exquisite, quiet, restrained, simple, understated, aristocratic, patrician, à la mode, chic, fashionable, in, modish, posh, sharp, sleek, smart, snappy, stylish, swagger, swank, affected, grandiose, ostentatious, pretentious, recherché
    opposite: dowdy, graceless, inelegant, styleless, tasteless, unfashionable, unhandsome, unstylish
    near: cheesy, coarse, crude, flamboyant, flashy, garish, gaudy, glitzy, grotesque, loud, raffish, splashy, tacky, tawdry, ticky-tacky, rough-edged, rough-hewn, rude, trashy, uncouth, uncultivated, uncultured, unpolished, unrefined, vulgar

  5. made or done with extreme care and accuracy

    "the dressmaker took a set of quite refined measurements before actually starting work"

    similar: delicate, exact, fine, finespun, hairline, hairsplitting, minute, nice, nuanced, subtle
    related: nitpicking, quibbling, frivolous, inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, negligible, petty, piddling, trifling, trivial, demanding, exacting, fastidious, finical, finicking, finicky, fussy, meticulous, particular, picky
    opposite: coarse, inexact, rough
    near: apparent, clear, clear-cut, evident, manifest, obvious, open-and-shut, palpable, patent, perspicuous, plain, transparent, unambiguous, unequivocal, unmistakable, broad, indefinite, careless, heedless, incautious, slapdash, slipshod, sloppy

  6. satisfying or pleasing because of fineness or mildness

    "the chef's refined cuisine is one that true gourmets will appreciate"

    similar: airy, dainty, delicate, exquisite, nuanced, subtle
    related: choice, elegant, extraordinary, incomparable, peerless, preeminent, prime, rare, select, superior, superlative, supreme, transcendent, unsurpassed, picked, selected, fine, fragile, frail
    opposite: robust, strong, sturdy
    near: coarse, crude, rough, common, ordinary, average, fair, indifferent, mediocre, medium, middling, run-of-the-mill, second-rate

  7. 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"

    similar: accurate, close, delicate, exact, fine, hairline, mathematical, pinpoint, precise, rigorous, spot-on
    related: correct, right, strict, true, definite, definitive, nice, subtle, careful, fastidious, finical, finicky, meticulous
    opposite: coarse, imprecise, inaccurate, inexact, rough
    near: approximate, round, false, incorrect, untrue, wrong, careless, loose, indefinite, unclear, vague, doubtful, dubious, questionable, unreliable, untrustworthy

Refined (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to make better

    "worked on refining her backhand before the big tennis match"

    similar: ameliorated, amended, bettered, enhanced, enriched, helped, improved, meliorated, perfected, upgraded
    related: corrected, emended, rectified, reformed, remediated, remedied, edited, fine-tuned, redrafted, refurbished, rehabbed, rehabilitated, revamped, revised, reworked, beefed (up), boosted, fortified, intensified, reinforced, strengthened, fined, honed, polished, retouched, touched up
    opposite: worsened
    near: damaged, endamaged, harmed, hurt, impaired, injured, spoiled, tarnished, vitiated, blemished, blighted, defaced, disfigured, flawed, marred, diminished, lessened, lowered, reduced

Related Entry: Refine (verb)

Refine is a different word from Refined. The synonyms below are for refine, not for refined.

  1. to make better

    "worked on refining her backhand before the big tennis match"

    similar: ameliorate, amend, better, enhance, enrich, help, improve, meliorate, perfect, upgrade
    related: correct, emend, rectify, reform, remediate, remedy, edit, fine-tune, redraft, refurbish, rehab, rehabilitate, revamp, revise, rework, beef (up), boost, fortify, intensify, reinforce, strengthen, fine, hone, polish, retouch, touch up
    opposite: worsen
    near: damage, endamage, harm, hurt, impair, injure, spoil, tarnish, vitiate, blemish, blight, deface, disfigure, flaw, mar, diminish, lessen, lower, reduce

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Refined

The most common words with a similar meaning to Refined:

advanced, developed, evolved, forward, high, higher, improved, late, progressive, absolute, fine, neat, plain, pure, purified, straight, unadulterated, unalloyed, undiluted, unmixed, accomplished, civilized, couth, cultivated, cultured, genteel, polished, classy, courtly, elegant, graceful, handsome, majestic, stately, tasteful, delicate, exact, finespun, hairline, hairsplitting

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Refined

Words with the opposite meaning of Refined:

backward, low, lower, nonprogressive, primitive, rude, rudimentary, undeveloped, adulterated, alloyed, diluted, impure, mixed, barbaric, barbarous, philistine, uncivilized, uncultured, ungenteel, unpolished, unrefined, dowdy, graceless, inelegant, styleless, tasteless, unfashionable, unhandsome, unstylish, coarse

Related Words for Refined

precocious, full-blown, full-fledged, full-scale, aged, grown, mature, matured, ripe, ripened, educated, enlightened, contemporary, current, cutting-edge, latest, leading-edge, mod, modern, new, newest, newfangled, new-fashioned, novel, now, present-day, recent, space-age, supermodern, ultramodern

Near Antonyms of Refined

green, immature, underdeveloped, undersized, underweight, unripe, unripened, savage, uneducated, early, embryonic, germinal, primeval, primordial, antediluvian, antiquated, antique, dated, fusty, hoary, musty, Neanderthal, obsolete, old, oldfangled, old-fashioned, old-time, out-of-date, outworn, passé

Origin & Etymology of Refined

First known use: 1582

Frequently Asked Questions about Refined

What does "Refined" mean?

"Refined" means free from impurities. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: free from impurities. It has 8 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Refined"?

Other words for "Refined" include advanced, developed, evolved, forward, high, higher, improved and late. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Refined" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Refined"?

There are 250 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Refined". Common alternatives include advanced, developed, evolved, forward, high, higher, improved, late, progressive and absolute.

What is the opposite of "Refined"?

Antonyms of "Refined" include backward, low, lower, nonprogressive, primitive, rude, rudimentary and undeveloped. Near antonyms include green, immature, underdeveloped and undersized.

How do you use "Refined" in a sentence?

Examples of "Refined" in a sentence: "a refined analysis of the factors that produce economic wealth in the new global economy"; "refined gold"; "a refined couple who have hosted many elegant benefits for organizations promoting the arts".

Is "Refined" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Refined" can be used as an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Refined"?

"Refined" is pronounced /ri-ˈfīnd/ and divided into syllables as re·fined.

What is the origin of the word "Refined"?

First known use: 1582.