noun
- fineness or elegance of feeling, taste, manners, language, etc.
- an instance of refined feeling, manners, etc.
- the act or process of refining.
- the quality or state of being refined.
- a subtle point or distinction.
- subtle reasoning.
- an improved, higher, or extreme form of something: a refinement of the old system.
- Mathematics. a set whose elements include the elements of a given set.
noun
- the act of refining or the state of being refined
- a fine or delicate point, distinction, or expression; a subtlety
- fineness or precision of thought, expression, manners, etc; polish or cultivation
- a device, change, adaptation, etc, designed to improve performance or increase efficiency
1610s, “act or process of refining; state of being pure,” from refine + -ment. Meaning “fineness of feeling” is from 1708.