sublime Hear it!

sublime Definition

sub·lime (sə blīm′)

adjective

  1. noble; exalted; majestic
  2. inspiring awe or admiration through grandeur, beauty, etc.
  3. Informal outstandingly or supremely such a man of sublime taste
  4. Archaic
    1. elated; joyful
    2. proud; lofty; haughty
    3. upraised; aloft

Etymology: L sublimus < sub-, up to + limen, lintel (hence, orig. up to the lintel): see limen

transitive verb -·limed′, -·lim′·ing

  1. to make sublime
  2. sublimate ()

Etymology: ME sublimen < MFr sublimer < ML sublimare < L, to lift high < the adj.

intransitive verb

sublimate

sublime Related Forms

sub·lime′ly adverb sub·lime′·ness noun

sublime Idioms

the sublime

sublime quality; sublimity

sublime Synonyms

sublime

modif.

  1. Noble

    exalted, lofty, stately; see grand 2, noble 1, 2.

  2. Inspiring

    awe-inspiring, majestic, heavenly, divine, breath-taking.

sublime Usage Examples

Object

  • magnesium: For comparison, a sample of triply sublimed magnesium was acquired from the Dow Chemical Company.
  • sulfur: Earth-based radar has detected an extremely reflective material in these regions which may be sublimed sulfur or even water ice.

Adjective complement with noun phrase

make: Like chicken soup, simple ingredients combining to make something sublime.

Modifies a noun

  • frost: Not a cloud in the sky, the caps of the Munros glistening white with snow and a sublime frost covering everything.
  • melody: Wherever Mozart found the inspiration for his sublime melodies for the 40th symphony, they were immediate hits.
  • harmony: Either way, the voices are right up front throughout in sublime harmony.
  • genius: Starting in 1980 Gary Larson became known the world over for giving us glimpses into sublime genius, with a liberal sprinkling of cows.
  • vocal: A combination of sublime vocals, poignant lyrics and ethereal soundscapes.
  • beauty: Rufous-browed Flycatcher in its sublime beauty lies in wait to show inside the lower branches.

Modifying Another Word

  • triply: For comparison, a sample of triply sublimed magnesium was acquired from the Dow Chemical Company.
  • utterly: This is future soul at its absolute finest utterly sublime.
  • truly: The study of the great models of the past serves to show how these masters achieved the truly sublime without falling victim to bathos.
  • equally: And this again is an equally sublime spiritual certainty that all men are comic.
  • simply: All you really need is the first track which is simply sublime.
  • quite: Gervais is also a quite sublime actor, one of the best.

Used with adjective complement

  • look: The graphics engine responsible for the stunning home city also handles all the action in the missions, meaning that everything looks sublime.
  • taste: There's a good two meals worth here and they taste sublime.
  • do: Unlike some existing ink bases derived from natural sources this material has good heat stability and does not sublime.

Preposition: in

way: Writing about it seems nonsense really, as the vision is sublime in all ways.