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refine - 20 thesaurus results
| Main Entry: | refine |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | purify |
| Synonyms: | clarify, cleanse, distill, filter, process, strain, rarefy |
| Antonyms: | corrupt, dirty, pollute |
| Main Entry: | refine |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | perfect, polish |
| Synonyms: | better, civilize, clarify, cultivate, elevate, explain, hone, improve, round, sleek, slick, smooth, temper, make clear |
| Antonyms: | damage, ruin |
| Main Entry: | better |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | improve performance; outdo |
| Synonyms: | advance, ameliorate, amend, beat, best, cap, correct, enhance, exceed, excel, forward, further, help, meliorate, mend, outshine, outstrip, promote, raise, rectify, refine, reform, revamp, surpass, top, transcend |
| Notes: | better is greater in excellence or higher in quality; more useful; more highly skilled; healthier than before - while bettor is someone who bets |
| Antonyms: | deteriorate, worsen, get worse |
| Main Entry: | civilize |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make cultured; develop |
| Synonyms: | acquaint, advance, better, cultivate, edify, educate, elevate, enlighten, ennoble, enrich, foster, humanize, idealize, improve, indoctrinate, inform, instruct, polish, promote, reclaim, refine, tame, uplift, acculturate, ethicize, help forward, sophisticate, spiritualize |
| Main Entry: | clean |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make undirty, uncluttered |
| Synonyms: | bath, bathe, blot, brush, cauterize, clarify, cleanse, clear the decks*, clear up, deodorize, disinfect, do up*, dredge, dust, erase, expunge, expurgate, flush, launder, mop, neaten, pick, pick up, polish, purge, purify, rake, rasp, refine, rinse, sanitize, scald, scour, scrape, scrub, soak, soap, sponge, spruce up*, sterilize, swab, sweep, vacuum, wash, whisk, winnow, wipe, absterge, depurate, deterge, edulcorate, elutriate, hackle, lave, rout out, shake out, shampoo, straighten up, tidy up |
| Antonyms: | adulterate, defile, dirty, foul, soil, stain |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | cleanse |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make undirty; wash |
| Synonyms: | absolve, clarify, clean, clear, disinfect, expurgate, launder, purge, purify, refine, restore, rinse, sanitize, scour, scrub, sterilize, depurgate, lustrate |
| Antonyms: | dirty, soil, spot |
| Main Entry: | complete |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | carry out action |
| Synonyms: | accomplish, achieve, actualize, cap, close, conclude, consummate, crown, determine, develop, discharge, do, effect, elaborate, end, equip, execute, fill, finalize, finish, fulfill, furnish, halt, make up, perfect, perform, realize, refine, round off, settle, supplement, terminate, ultimate, wind up*, wrap up*, bring to fruition, bring to maturity, call it a day, carry off, do thoroughly, effectuate, get through, go the limit, go through with, go whole hog, make good, put to bed, round out, sew up |
| Antonyms: | forget, halt, ignore, neglect, stop, give up |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | distill |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make pure; draw out something |
| Synonyms: | brew, clarify, concentrate, condense, cook, cut, cut down, dribble, drip, drop, evaporate, express, extract, ferment, infuse, precipitate, press, purify, rectify, refine, steam, sublimate, trickle, trim, vaporize, boil down, cut to the bone, get to the meat, press out, rarefy, squeeze out, volatilize |
| Antonyms: | dirty, pollute |
| Main Entry: | elaborate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make detailed; expand |
| Synonyms: | amplify, bedeck, clarify, comment, complicate, deck, decorate, develop, devise, discuss, embellish, enhance, enlarge, evolve, expatiate, explain, expound, garnish, improve, interpret, ornament, polish, produce, refine, specify, unfold, work out, flesh out, particularize |
| Antonyms: | simplify, make simple |
| Main Entry: | enrich |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | improve, embellish |
| Synonyms: | adorn, aggrandize, ameliorate, augment, beef up*, better, build, build up, cultivate, decorate, develop, endow, enhance, figure in, grace, ornament, pad, parlay, pyramid*, refine, spike*, step up, supplement, sweeten*, up*, upgrade, flesh out, hike up, hop up, jack up, jazz up, make rich, pour it on, run up*, soup up |
| Antonyms: | decrease, deplete, impoverish, reduce, take |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | explain |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make clear; give a reason for |
| Synonyms: | account for, analyze, annotate, bring out, clarify, clear up, construe, decipher, define, demonstrate, describe, diagram, disclose, elucidate, excuse, explicate, expound, get across*, illustrate, interpret, justify, manifest, paraphrase, point out, rationalize, read, refine, render, resolve, reveal, solve, spell out*, teach, tell, translate, unfold, unravel, untangle, break down, go into detail, make plain, put across, put in plain English, set right, throw light upon |
| Antonyms: | complicate, confuse, mystify, obscure, perplex, be vague |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | filter |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | separate to refine; seep through |
| Synonyms: | clarify, clean, distill, drain, dribble, escape, exude, leak, ooze, penetrate, percolate, permeate, purify, refine, screen, sieve, sift, strain, trickle, winnow, filtrate, metastasize, osmose, soak through |
| Antonyms: | collect, combine |
| Main Entry: | groom |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make ready, prepare physically |
| Synonyms: | brush, clean, coach, comb, curry, dress, drill, educate, nurture, preen, prim, prime, primp, ready, refine, refresh, sleek, spruce up*, tend, tidy, train, turn out, lick into shape, make attractive, make presentable, prep, pretty up, put through grind, put through mill, rub down, shape up, slick up*, smarten up, spiff up |
| Antonyms: | forget, ignore |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | improve |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make or become better |
| Synonyms: | advance, ameliorate, amend, augment, better, boost, civilize, convalesce, correct, cultivate, develop, edit, elevate, emend, enhance, gain ground*, help, increase, lift, look up*, meliorate, mend, perk up*, pick up*, polish, progress, promote, purify, raise, rally, recover, rectify, recuperate, refine, reform, revamp, revise, rise, sharpen, skyrocket*, take off*, touch up*, update, upgrade, come around*, doctor up, make strides, set right, shape up, straighten out*, turn the corner |
| Antonyms: | damage, decline, decrease, diminish, harm, hurt, injure, weaken, worsen |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | perfect |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | polish; achieve |
| Synonyms: | accomplish, ameliorate, carry out, complete, consummate, crown, cultivate, develop, effect, elaborate, finish, fulfill, hone, idealize, improve, perform, realize, refine, round, slick, smooth, put finishing touch on |
| Antonyms: | destroy, ruin |
| Main Entry: | process |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | subject to series of actions to achieve result |
| Synonyms: | alter, concoct, convert, dispose of, fulfill, handle, prepare, refine, transform, treat, deal with, make ready, take care of |
| Antonyms: | forget, neglect |
| Main Entry: | proofread |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | copyedit |
| Synonyms: | analyze, check, correct, cut, delete, edit, go over, rearrange, refine, rephrase, revise, strike out, blue-pencil*, remove errors |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | purify |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | free; make clean |
| Synonyms: | absolve, aerate, atone, chasten, clarify, clean, cleanse, clear, decontaminate, deodorize, disinfect, exculpate, exonerate, expiate, filter, fumigate, oxygenate, purge, redeem, refine, remit, sanctify, sanitize, shrive, sublimate, wash, aerify, depurate, deterge, edulcorate, elutriate, lustrate, rarify |
| Antonyms: | adulterate, corrupt, dirty, pollute |
| Main Entry: | thin |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make diluted or less dense |
| Synonyms: | attenuate, cook, cut, cut back, decrease, delete, diminish, disperse, doctor, edit, expand, extenuate, irrigate, lace*, needle*, prune, reduce, refine, shave, spike, trim, water, water down, weaken, emaciate, rarefy, weed out |
| Antonyms: | beef up, thicken |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | humanize |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | acculturate |
| Synonyms: | civilize, cultivate, refine, tame, teach, temper |
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
