refine
verb
1 refine
Improve or perfect by pruning or polishing:
— Refine one's style of writing.
synonyms: down, fine-tune, polish.
Roget 652:
be clean,
render clean
etc.
adj.;
clean,
cleanse;
mundify†,
rinse,
wring,
flush,
full,
wipe,
mop,
sponge,
scour,
swab,
scrub,
brush up.
wash,
lave,
launder,
buck;
absterge†,
deterge†;
decrassify†;
clear,
purify;
depurate†,
despumate†,
defecate;
purge,
expurgate,
elutriate [Chem],
lixiviate†,
edulcorate†,
clarify,
refine,
rack;
filter,
filtrate;
drain,
strain.
disinfect,
fumigate,
ventilate,
deodorize;
whitewash;
castrate,
emasculate.
sift,
winnow,
pick,
weed,
comb,
rake,
brush,
sweep.
rout out,
clear out,
sweep out
&c.;
make a clean sweep of.
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Roget 477:
judge intuitively,
judge by intuition;
hazard a proposition,
hazard a guess,
talk at random.
reason ill,
falsely
etc.
adj.;
misjudge
etc.
481;
paralogize†.
take on faith,
take as a given;
assume
(supposition)
514.
pervert,
quibble;
equivocate,
mystify,
evade,
elude;
gloss over,
varnish;
misteach
etc.
538†;
mislead
etc.
(error)
495;
cavil,
refine,
subtilize†,
split hairs;
misrepresent
etc.
(lie)
544.
beg the question,
reason in a circle,
reason in circles,
assume the conclusion.
cut blocks with a razor,
beat about the bush,
play fast and loose,
play fast and loose with the facts,
blow hot and cold,
prove that black is white and white black,
travel out of the record,
parler a tort et a travers [Fr.],
put oneself out of court,
not have a leg to stand on.
judge hastily,
shoot from the hip,
jump to conclusions
(misjudgment)
481.
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2 refine
Make more complex, intricate, or richer:
— Refine a design or pattern.
synonyms: complicate, elaborate, rarify.
Dutch: compliceren
3 refine
Treat or prepare so as to put in a usable condition.
4 refine
Reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; separate from extraneous matter or cleanse from impurities:
— Refine sugar.
synonym: rectify.
Dutch: veredelen, verrijken
5 refine
Attenuate or reduce in vigor, strength, or intensity by polishing or purifying.
6 refine
Make more precise or increase the discriminatory powers of.
Moby thesaurus: abate, abrade, abstract, acculturate, advance, ameliorate, amend, bate, beautify, better, bolt, boost, bring forward, carve, chisel, civilize, clarify, cleanse, clear, colliquate, concentrate, convert, cultivate, curtail, decoct, decontaminate, decrassify, decrease, deduct, defrost, depreciate, depurate, derogate, detract, develop, diminish, disparage, distill, drain, eat away, edify, educate, edulcorate, elaborate, elevate, elute, embellish, emend, enhance, enlighten, enrich, erode, essentialize, evolve, excite, express, extract, fatten, favor, file away, filter, filtrate, finish, flux, focus, forward, foster, fuse, go straight, grow, harvest, hone, impair, improve, improve upon, infuse, lard, leach, lessen, lift, lixiviate, machine, make an improvement, make sensitive, mature, meliorate, melt, melt down, mend, mill, mine, narrow, nurture, oversimplify, percolate, perfect, polish, press out, process, promote, pump, purify, quicken, raise, rear, rectify, reduce, reduce to elements, refine upon, reform, remove, render, retrench, ripen, round, rub away, run, screen, season, sensibilize, sensitize, separate, sharpen, shorten, sieve, sift, simplify, sleek, slick, smelt, smooth, soak, socialize, spiritualize, steep, stimulate, stir, straighten out, strain, streamline, strip down, subduct, sublimate, sublime, subtilize, subtract, take away, take from, thaw, thin, thin out, transfigure, transform, try, unfreeze, upgrade, uplift, wear away, weed, whet, winnow, withdraw, wring, wring out ... show more.
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