n. 1
The act, or the result of refining; the removal of impurities, or a purified material
n. 2
High-class style; cultivation.
n. 3
A fine or subtle distinction.
n. 4
A luxury.

Forms

Plural: refinements → subtleties, tastes, finesses, sensibilities…

Choose the right word

or Refinement?

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.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

taste My wife's taste in clothes is different from mine.
sensibility I can't compete with the delicate sensibility of Tom.
finesse It could have been executed with more finesse.
subtlety Subtlety has never been your strong suit.
polish These sentences in Polish have different meanings.
cultivation Plants are formed with cultivation, humans with education.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
refinement		steady
taste		rising
sensibility		rising
finesse		rising
subtlety		steady
polish		rising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

5 letters: taste¹, grace¹, shade¹
6 letters: finish², polish², purity³, nuance², nicety³
7 letters: culture², finesse²
8 letters: courtesy³, grooming², refining³, elegance³, delicacy⁴, subtlety³, civility⁴
9 letters: elevation⁴, gentility⁴
10 letters: filtration³, politeness³
11 letters: improvement³, cultivation⁴, sensibility⁵, elaboration⁵, sublimation
12 letters: civilization⁵, civilisation, purification⁵
13 letters: clarification⁵
14 letters: fastidiousness

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (finish² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: raffinement
Italiano: raffinatezza
Español: refinamiento
Deutsch: Raffinesse