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overrefine

[ oh-ver-ri-fahyn ]

verb (used with object)

overrefined, overrefining.
  1. to refine excessively, as with oversubtle distinctions.


overrefine

/ ˌəʊəɪˈڲɪ /

verb

  1. to refine (something) to excess
  2. intr to make excessively fine distinctions
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˌDZˈھԱ𳾱Գ, noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of overrefine1

First recorded in 1705–15; over- + refine
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

But many people now use it to mean “effeminate” or “overrefined.”

From

It is often most elaborate, artificial, overrefined—one might even say, affected.

From

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