refinement meaning and examples

Meaning

• Refinement (noun) refers to:

  1. The process of improving something by making small changes to remove flaws or make it more effective.
  2. The quality of being cultured, elegant, or showing good taste.
  3. The act of purifying a substance, such as refining oil, sugar, or metal.

Grammar and Usage

• Noun (uncountable and countable).

• Common structures:

  • "make refinements to sth" → improve something gradually.
  • "a refinement of technique" → an improvement or sophisticated element.
  • "social refinement" → elegance or politeness.

Common Phrases

• Make refinements
• Process of refinement
• Refinement of technique
• With great refinement
• A refinement of taste

Collocations

• Verb + refinement: make, add, require, undergo
• Adjective + refinement: slight refinement, cultural refinement, technical refinement
• Noun + refinement: refinement of character, refinement of design, refinement process

Examples

1. The engineers made several refinements to improve the machine’s efficiency.
2. This wine shows a high degree of refinement.
3. The new software update included a number of refinements to the user interface.
4. She has a natural refinement in the way she speaks and dresses.
5. The refinement of sugar removes impurities before packaging.
6. His manners lack the refinement expected in formal settings.
7. The design is elegant but could still use some refinement.
8. The refinement of the process took several months.

Synonyms or Related

• For improvement sense: enhancement, polishing, adjustment, perfection
• For elegance sense: sophistication, grace, delicacy, elegance
• For purification sense: processing, filtering, purification