sublime

Definitions

1. 1.Distinguished by lofty or noble traits; eminent; -- said of persons. "The sublime Julian leader." De Quincey.
2. 2.Awakening or expressing the emotion of awe, adoration, veneration, heroic resolve, etc.; dignified; grand; solemn; stately; -- said of an impressive object in nature, of an action, of a discourse, of a work of art, of a spectacle, etc.; as, sublime scenery; a sublime deed. Easy in words thy style, in sense sublime. Prior. Know how sublime a thing it is To suffer and be strong. Longfellow.
3. 3.Elevated by joy; elate. [Poetic] Their hearts were jocund and sublime, Drunk with idolatry, drunk with wine. Milton.
4. 4.Lofty of mien; haughty; proud. [Poetic] "Countenance sublime and insolent." Spenser. His fair, large front and eye sublime declared Absolute rule. Milton. See Grand.
5. 5.That which is sublime; -- with the definite article; as: (a) A grand or lofty style in speaking or writing; a style that expresses lofty conceptions. The sublime rises from the nobleness of thoughts, the magnificence of words, or the harmonious and lively turn of the phrase. Addison. (b) That which is grand in nature or art, as distinguished from the merely beautiful.
6. 6.To raise on high. [Archaic] A soul sublimed by an idea above the region of vanity and conceit. E. P. Whipple.
7. 7.(Chem.) To subject to the process of sublimation; to heat, volatilize, and condense in crystals or powder; to distill off, and condense in solid form; hence, also, to purify.
8. 8.To exalt; to heighten; to improve; to purify. The sun . . . Which not alone the southern wit sublimes, But ripens spirits in cold, northern climes. Pope.
9. 9.To dignify; to ennoble. An ordinary gift can not sublime a person to a supernatural employment. Jer. Taylor.
10. 10.To pass off in vapor, with immediate condensation; specifically, to evaporate or volatilize from the solid state without apparent melting; -- said of those substances, like arsenic, benzoic acid, etc., which do not exhibit a liquid form on heating, except under increased pressure.

Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).

Synonyms

Related questions

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Reverse-dictionary questions

Definition-first questions whose answer is sublime.

• What is distinguished by lofty or noble traits; eminent; -- said of persons. "The sublime Julian leader." De Quincey called?
• What is elevated by joy; elate. [Poetic] Their hearts were jocund and sublime, Drunk with idolatry, drunk with wine. Milton called?
• What is lofty of mien; haughty; proud. [Poetic] "Countenance sublime and insolent." Spenser. His fair, large front and eye sublime declared Absolute rule. Milton. See Grand called?
• What is to raise on high. [Archaic] A soul sublimed by an idea above the region of vanity and conceit. E. P. Whipple called?
• What is to subject to the process of sublimation; to heat, volatilize, and condense in crystals or powder; to distill off, and condense in solid form; hence, also, to purify called?
• What is to exalt; to heighten; to improve; to purify. The sun . . . Which not alone the southern wit sublimes, But ripens spirits in cold, northern climes. Pope called?
• What is to dignify; to ennoble. An ordinary gift can not sublime a person to a supernatural employment. Jer. Taylor called?