What are some opposite words for refinement?
Antonyms for refinement
rɪˈfaɪn məntre·fine·ment
This page is about all possible antonyms and opposite words for the term refinement.
English Synonyms and Antonyms
refinement
Civilization applies to nations, denoting the sum of those civil, social, economic, and political attainments by which a community is removed from barbarism; a people may be civilized while still far from refinement or culture, but civilization is susceptible of various degrees and of continued progress. Refinement applies either to nations or individuals, denoting the removal of what is coarse and rude, and a corresponding attainment of what is delicate, elegant, and beautiful. Cultivation, denoting primarily the process of cultivating the soil or growing crops, then the improved condition of either which is the result, is applied in similar sense to the human mind and character, but in this usage is now largely superseded by the term culture, which denotes a high development of the best qualities of man's mental and spiritual nature, with especial reference to the esthetic faculties and to graces of speech and manner, regarded as the expression of a refined nature. Culture in the fullest sense denotes that degree of refinement and development which results from continued cultivation through successive generations; a man's faculties may be brought to a high degree of cultivation in some specialty, while he himself remains uncultured even to the extent of coarseness and rudeness. Compare HUMANE; POLITE.
Antonyms:
barbarism, boorishness, brutality, clownishness, coarseness, grossness, rudeness, rusticity, savagery, vulgaritySynonyms:
civilization, cultivation, culture, elegance, politeness
Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms
refinement
Antonyms:
turbidity, grossness, foulness, coarseness, impurity, unrefinement, rudeness, inelegance, boorishness, broadness, bluntness, unsophisticatednessSynonyms:
clarification, purification, filtration, sublimation, polish, elegance, cultivation, civilization, subtilty, finesse, sophistry
Matched Categories
Princeton's WordNet
polish, refinement, culture, cultivation, finishnoun
a highly developed state of perfection; having a flawless or impeccable quality
"they performed with great polish"; "I admired the exquisite refinement of his prose"; "almost an inspiration which gives to all work that finish which is almost art"--Joseph Conrad
Synonyms:
purification, goal, acculturation, shade, last, polish, finish, culture, ending, coating, glossiness, cultivation, nuance, nicety, destination, civilization, finis, finishing, refining, stopping point, civilisation, elaboration, subtlety, close, gloss, conclusion, burnish, finalerefinement, elaborationnoun
the result of improving something
"he described a refinement of this technique"
Synonyms:
intricacy, purification, enlargement, shade, elaborateness, polish, involution, finish, culture, amplification, cultivation, nuance, nicety, working out, civilization, refining, civilisation, elaboration, subtlety, expansionrefining, refinement, purificationnoun
the process of removing impurities (as from oil or metals or sugar etc.)
Synonyms:
purgation, nicety, culture, elaboration, shade, subtlety, civilization, cultivation, refining, polish, nuance, civilisation, finish, purificationnuance, nicety, shade, subtlety, refinementnoun
a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude
"without understanding the finer nuances you can't enjoy the humor"; "don't argue about shades of meaning"
Synonyms:
cultivation, wraith, shade, shadiness, polish, refining, rightness, specter, ghost, purification, tincture, tint, nuance, shadowiness, nicety, culture, civilization, spectre, spook, civilisation, elaboration, subtlety, tone, finish, justness, niceness, tadrefinement, civilization, civilisationnoun
the quality of excellence in thought and manners and taste
"a man of intellectual refinement"; "he is remembered for his generosity and civilization"
Synonyms:
nicety, culture, elaboration, shade, subtlety, civilization, cultivation, refining, polish, nuance, civilisation, finish, purification
Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated Words
refinementnoun
Antonyms:
vulgarity, coarseness, crudity, barbarity, philistinismSynonyms:
culture, elegance, polish, fastidiousness, purification, sublimation, subtility, clarification, tenuity
How to use refinement in a sentence?
A life of peace, purity, and refinement leads to a calm and untroubled old age.
True refinement seeks simplicity.
We thought there needed to be much more detail and refinement of those metrics.
Refinement over revolution isn't a bad thing but if purses are tightening with the economy then these announcements are a harder sell without anything groundbreaking.
Take the Mercedes-Benz S-Class 12-cylinder model. If that approaches you at 10 kilometers an hour you can also barely hear it, so we wanted a sound which also oozes refinement for the electric car.
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
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"refinement." Synonyms.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 15 Feb. 2025. <https://www.synonyms.com/antonyms/refinement>.
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