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Sublime vs. Sublimate
At first glance, the question of whether sublime and sublimate are related might seem like an easy one to answer, as they appear to come from the same source. However, the most common senses in which each of these words is used today are dissimilar enough to give pause. The two words are indeed related, and in some senses are in fact synonymous. Both share the meaning “to cause to pass directly from the solid to the vapor state and condense back to solid form,” although this is not widely used except among chemists. Sublime was first used as a verb with the above meaning, and after a century or two of such use took on the adjectival role in which it is often found today (“the concert was a sublime experience”). Sublimate has had several meanings as a verb (including “to elevate to a place of honor” and “to give a more elevated character to”) before coming to its common meaning today, which is “to divert the expression of (an instinctual desire or impulse) from its unacceptable form to one that is considered more socially or culturally acceptable.”
Synonyms
Examples of sublime in a Sentence
William B. McKinnon et al., Encyclopedia Of The Solar System, 1999
The cursory remarks of the large-minded stranger, of whom he knew absolutely nothing beyond a commonplace name, were sublimed by his death, and influenced Clare more than all the reasoned ethics of the philosophers.
—Thomas Hardy, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, 1891
Adjective
New Orleans is not just a list of attractions or restaurants or ceremonies, no matter how sublime and subtle. New Orleans is the interaction among all those things, and countless more.
—Tom Piazza, Why New Orleans Matters, 2005
Judging by the satisfied look that settles on both men's faces, the meal was sublime.
—Kathleen Brennan, Saveur, November 2004
Even when he is paying homage to her sublime beauty, he cannot resist inserting himself as the man responsible for unleashing that beauty's potency.
—Zoë Heller, New Republic, 21 May 2001
He composed some of the most sublime symphonies in existence.
the sublime beauty of the canyon
Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2024
And while not delineated by movement, its moods took dramatic swings from anguish, exhaustion and joy to sublime resignation and pure frustration (i.e. a primal scream from all four members).
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
Steve Forbes, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024
Anya Taylor-Joy looked sublime in a cream crochet skirt and top set from Dior’s cruise 2025 collection at the luxury label’s spring 2025 show on Tuesday during Paris Fashion Week.
—Violet Goldstone, WWD, 24 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sublime 
Dictionary Entries Near sublime
Cite this Entry
“Sublime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sublime. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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sublime
1 of 2 verb
sublime
2 of 2 adjectiveMedical Definition
sublime
verb
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