REFINEMENT
refinement, civilization, civilisation
(noun) the quality of excellence in thought and manners and taste; “a man of intellectual refinement”; “he is remembered for his generosity and civilization”
nuance, nicety, shade, subtlety, refinement
(noun) 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”
refinement, elaboration
(noun) the result of improving something; “he described a refinement of this technique”
refining, refinement, purification
(noun) the process of removing impurities (as from oil or metals or sugar etc.)
polish, refinement, culture, cultivation, finish
(noun) 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
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
refinement (countable and uncountable, plural refinements)
The act, or the result of refining; the removal of impurities, or a purified material
High-class style; cultivation.
A fine or subtle distinction.
Source: Wiktionary
Re*fine"ment (r*fn"ment), n. Etym: [Cf. F. raffinement.]
1. The act of refining, or the state of being refined; as, the
refinement or metals; refinement of ideas.
The more bodies are of kin to spirit in subtilty and refinement, the
more diffusive are they. Norris.
From the civil war to this time, I doubt whether the corruptions in
our language have not equaled its refinements. Swift.
2. That which is refined, elaborated, or polished to excess; an
affected subtilty; as, refinements of logic. "The refinements of
irregular cunning." Rogers.
Syn.
– Purification; polish; politeness; gentility; elegance;
cultivation; civilization.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition