Thesaurus
refinement
noun
Synonyms and Antonyms of REFINEMENT
1
an instance of notable progress in the development of knowledge, technology, or skill <the recent refinements in this area of medical technology>
Related Words quantum leap; amelioration, boost, heightening, increase, melioration, strengthening, upgrade, uplift, upswing, uptrend, upturn; betterment, development, elaboration, evolution, expansion, gestation, growth, maturation, perfection, ripening; civilization, edification, education, enlightenment; renaissance, renascence, revival; discovery, find, windfall; innovation, invention
Near Antonyms breakdown, collapse, crash; hindrance, impediment, stumbling block; decadence, decay, declension, decline, decrease, degeneration, descent, deterioration, diminishment, downgrade, ebbing, failing, flagging, languishment, lapse, lessening, reduction, sinking, slowing, weakening, worsening; detriment, disablement, drawback, glitch, impairment, shortcoming
Antonyms setback
2
a high level of taste and enlightenment as a result of extensive intellectual training and exposure to the arts <had a sense of refinement that her small hometown couldn't satisfy, so she moved to New York City to be closer to great museums and concert halls>
Related Words education, erudition, intellectualism, intellectuality, knowledge, learning, literacy, scholarship; cosmopolitanism, sophistication, urbanity; breeding, genteelness, gentility, manners; class, elegance, grace, taste; civility, courteousness, courtesy, politeness
Near Antonyms ignorance, illiteracy; parochialism, provincialism, rusticity, unsophistication; boorishness, churlishness, clownishness, coarseness, crudeness, vulgarity
3
dignified or restrained beauty of form, appearance, or style <although she can afford all the jewelry that money can buy, she dresses with the gentle refinement that only taste can bestow>
Synonyms class, classiness, courtliness, elegancy, fineness, grace, gracefulness, handsomeness, majesty, refinement, stateliness
Related Words augustness, brilliance, gloriousness, glory, grandeur, grandness, lavishness, luxuriance, luxuriousness, luxury, magnificence, nobility, nobleness, opulence, ornateness, plushiness, plushness, resplendence, resplendency, richness, splendor, sumptuousness; artfulness, chic, polish, sophistication, taste, tastefulness; choiceness, classicism, dignity, exquisiteness, restraint, simplicity; affectedness, grandiosity, ostentation, ostentatiousness, pretentiousness, showiness
Near Antonyms coarseness, crudeness, flamboyance, flashiness, garishness, gaudiness, glitz, grotesqueness, grotesquerie (also grotesquery), kitsch, tastelessness, tawdriness, vulgarity
Antonyms gracelessness, inelegance
Seen & Heard
What made you want to look up refinement? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).