English verb: refine | |||
1. | refine (change) improve or perfect by pruning or polishing | ||
Samples | Refine one's style of writing. | ||
Synonyms | down, fine-tune, polish | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Somebody ----s somebody. Something ----s somebody | ||
Broader (hypernym) | ameliorate, amend, better, improve, meliorate | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | civilise, civilize, cultivate, educate, over-refine, overrefine, school, train | ||
2. | refine (change) make more complex, intricate, or richer | ||
Samples | Refine a design or pattern. | ||
Synonyms | complicate, elaborate, rarify | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Something ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | alter, change, modify | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | develop, involve, sophisticate | ||
3. | refine (change) treat or prepare so as to put in a usable condition | ||
Samples | Refine paper stock. Refine pig iron. Refine oil. | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Something ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | process, treat | ||
4. | refine (change) reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; separate from extraneous matter or cleanse from impurities | ||
Samples | Refine sugar. | ||
Synonyms | rectify | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Something ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | distill, make pure, purify, sublimate | ||
5. | refine (change) attenuate or reduce in vigor, strength, or validity by polishing or purifying | ||
Samples | Many valuable nutrients are refined out of the foods in our modern diet. | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Something ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | attenuate | ||
6. | refine (change) make more precise or increase the discriminatory powers of | ||
Samples | Refine a method of analysis. Refine the constant in the equation. | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Something ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | alter, change, modify | ||