Sublime

/səˈblaɪm/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang

adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: Something which is sublime; a sublimity.
  • Grammar: sublime is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: elevated, grand, lofty, abstract.
  • Useful contrasts: aweless, banality, base.
  • Usage evidence: His death was a sublime self-sacrifice.

How to use "sublime"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sublime" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sublime" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sublime" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sublime" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "sublime" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "elevated" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "sublime", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Something which is sublime; a sublimity. archaic, countable, uncountable

    "Car[los]. VVhat is your opinion of the Play? Yo[ung] Mag[got]. […] There are a great many ſublimes that are very Poetical."

  2. 2
    In the form the sublime of: the highest degree; the acme, the height. archaic, countable, uncountable

    "No solemn, antique gentleman of rhyme, Who having angled all his life for fame, And getting but a nibble at a time, Still fussily keeps fishing on, the same Small "Triton of the minnows," the sublime Of mediocrity, the furious tame, […]"

  3. 3
    Chiefly preceded by the.; An aspect of art or nature which causes awe or deep respect due to its beauty or magnificence; hence, the great beauty or magnificence of a place, a thing, etc. countable, uncountable

    "[T]he vvhole capacity of the eye, vibrating in all its parts muſt approach near to the nature of vvhat cauſes pain, and conſequently muſt produce an idea of the ſublime. Or if vve take it, that one point only of an object is diſtinguiſhable at oince; the matter vvill amount nearly to the ſame thing, or rather it vvill make the origin of the ſublime from greatneſs of dimenſion yet clearer."

  4. 4
    Chiefly preceded by the.; A style of language or writing which expresses opinions in a grand way. countable, uncountable

    "And, after, feigning pique at what she call'd The raillery, or grotesque, or false sublime— Like one that wishes at a dance to change The music—clapt her hands and cried for war, Or some grand fight to kill and make an end: […]"

  5. 5
    Chiefly preceded by the.; That which is intellectually, morally, or spiritually superior in human life or human nature. countable, uncountable

    "The ſublime and the ridiculous are often ſo nearly related, that it is difficult to claſs them ſeparately. One ſtep above the ſublime, makes the ridiculous; and one ſtep above the ridiculous, makes the ſublime again."

Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    The quality or state of being sublime; sublimeness, sublimity. archaic, uncountable

    "[W]hatever VVord or Sentence is Printed in a different Character, ſhall be judged to contain ſomething extraordinary either of VVit or Sublime."

Verb
  1. 1
    Synonym of sublimate.; To heat (a substance) in a container so as to convert it into a gas which then condenses in solid form on cooler parts of the container; (generally) to change (a solid substance) into a gas without breaking down or passing through the liquid state by heating it gently. transitive

    "Sub[tle]. […] VVho are you? Ana[nias]. A faithfull Brother, if it pleaſe you. Sub. VVhat's that? A Lullianiſt? a Ripley? Filius artis? Can you ſublime, and dulcefie?"

  2. 2
    vaporize and then condense right back again wordnet
  3. 3
    Synonym of sublimate.; To obtain or purify (a substance) in this manner. archaic, transitive

    "[I]t [niter, or sodium carbonate] Calcineth, Sublimeth and Diſſolveth Minerals and Metals."

  4. 4
    change or cause to change directly from a solid into a vapor without first melting wordnet
  5. 5
    To raise (someone or an intangible thing) to a state of (especially moral or spiritual) excellence; to exalt. broadly, figuratively, transitive

    "Thoſe vvords vvhich doe ſublime the quinteſſence of bliſſe, […]"

Show 9 more definitions
  1. 6
    To cause (someone or something) to ascend; to raise (someone or something) to a high position. obsolete, transitive

    "I am ſublim'd! groſſe earth Supports me not. I vvalk on ayr!"

  2. 7
    To cause (juice or sap) to rise in a plant. obsolete, transitive

    "[Camfire, i.e., camphor] ſeemeth plainely to be ſo made by art, being caſt as it vvere or ſublimed into broad round pans or diſhes and little above the thickneſſe of ones thumbe, […]"

  3. 8
    Especially of the sun: to heat (something) and cause vapours, etc., to rise from it. obsolete, transitive

    "Some the French VVriters, ſome our ovvn deſpiſe; The Ancients only, or the Moderns prize: […] Meanly they ſeek the Bleſſing to confine, And force that Sun but on a Part to Shine; VVhich not alone the Southern VVit ſublimes, But ripens Spirits in cold Northern Climes; […]"

  4. 9
    To purify (someone) from a bad influence or from sin. obsolete, transitive
  5. 10
    To raise (someone) to a high office or status; to dignify, to exalt. obsolete, transitive

    "Thou Vermine, haue I tane thee, out of dung, […] Sublim'd thee, and exalted thee, and fix'd thee I'the third region, the high ſtate of grace?"

  6. 11
    To raise (a physical thing) to a state of excellence; to improve. obsolete, transitive

    "[I]t [bread used for communion] is made 'sacramental and eucharistical,' and so it is sublimed to become the body of Christ. But it is natural food still, […]"

  7. 12
    Synonym of sublimate.; Of a substance: to change from a solid into a gas without passing through the liquid state, with or without being heated. intransitive

    "Then diſtil it, and you ſhall have a Philoſophical ☿ [mercury], and what Sublimeth is the Sulphur, which keep apart."

  8. 13
    Synonym of sublimate.; Of a substance: to change from a gas into a solid without passing through the liquid state. intransitive
  9. 14
    To become higher in quality or status; to improve. broadly, figuratively, intransitive
Adjective
  1. 1
    High, tall, towering; also, positioned in a high place; high-up, lofty. archaic, obsolete, poetic

    "The Heroe, looking on the left, eſpy'd A lofty Tovv'r, and ſtrong on ev'ry ſide […] Vain is the force of Man, and Heav'ns as van, To cruſh the Pillars vvhich the Pile ſuſtain. Sublime on theſe a Tovv'r of Steel is rear'd; And dire Tiſiphone these keeps the VVard."

  2. 2
    Of an aspect of art or nature: causing awe or deep respect due to its beauty or magnificence; awe-inspiring, impressive. figuratively

    "sublime scenery"

  3. 3
    Of flight: ascending, soaring. figuratively
  4. 4
    Of an idea or other thing: requiring great intellectual effort to appreciate or understand; very elevated, refined, or subtle. figuratively
  5. 5
    Of language, style, or writing: expressing opinions in a grand way. figuratively
Show 11 more definitions
  1. 6
    Of a person or their actions or qualities: intellectually, morally, or spiritually superior. figuratively

    "a sublime deed"

  2. 7
    Of an office or status: very high; exalted; also, used as an honorific (often capitalized as Sublime) to refer to someone of high office or status, especially the Ottoman sultan; or to things associated with such a person. figuratively

    "the Sublime Porte"

  3. 8
    Of a thing: consummate, perfect; (informal, loosely) excellent, marvellous, wonderful. figuratively

    "Thy even Thoughts vvith ſo much Plainneſs flovv, Their Senſe untutor'd Infancy may knovv; Yet to ſuch height is all that Plainneſs vvrought, VVit may admire, and letter'd Pride be taught: Eaſie in VVords thy Style, in Senſe ſublime, On its bleſt Steps each Age and Sex may riſe, 'Tis like the Ladder in the Patriarch's Dream, Its foot on Earth, its height beyond the Skies."

  4. 9
    Of a person: dignified, majestic, noble. archaic, figuratively, poetic

    "the sublime Julian leader"

  5. 10
    Of a person: haughty, proud. archaic, figuratively, poetic

    "countenance sublime and insolent"

  6. 11
    Complete, downright, utter. figuratively, informal

    "He is behaving like a sublime idiot."

  7. 12
    Elevated by joy; elated. figuratively, obsolete

    "While thir hearts were jocund and ſublime, Drunk with Idolatry, drunk with Wine,"

  8. 13
    Of a substance: purified, refined; hence, of the highest quality. figuratively, obsolete
  9. 14
    Of arms: lifted up, raised. obsolete, poetic, postpositional
  10. 15
    Of a muscle (especially the flexor digitorum superficialis muscle of the forearm which lies above the flexor digitorum profundus muscle): positioned above another muscle; superficial. obsolete
  11. 16
    Of breathing: very laboured. obsolete
Adjective
  1. 1
    lifted up or set high wordnet
  2. 2
    inspiring awe wordnet
  3. 3
    greatest or maximal in degree; extreme wordnet
  4. 4
    of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style wordnet
  5. 5
    worthy of adoration or reverence wordnet
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    An unincorporated community in Lavaca County, Texas, United States.

Synonyms

All synonyms
elevatedgrandloftyabstractaerateaerial

Example

"His death was a sublime self-sacrifice."

Common questions

What does "sublime" mean?

Something which is sublime; a sublimity.

What is a synonym for "sublime"?

Common synonyms include: elevated, grand, lofty, abstract, aerate, aerial.

How do you use "sublime" in a sentence?

His death was a sublime self-sacrifice.

How do you pronounce "sublime"?

Pronounced /səˈblaɪm/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

PIE word *upó Partly from the following: * From Middle English sublimen, sublime, sublyme (“to exalt, extol, glorify, honour; (alchemy) to refine (a substance) by vaporizing in a closed container; to obtain (a substance) by cooling vapour obtained through sublimation; to extract (a pure substance) from a mixture by sublimation; to sublimate (a substance)”), from Middle French sublimer, Old French sublimer (“to exalt, glorify, honour; to refine (a substance) by vaporizing in a closed container; of a substance: to undergo sublimation”) (modern French sublimer), and from its etymon Latin sublīmāre, the present active infinitive of sublimō (“to elevate, raise; to soar”) (compare Late Latin sublimō (“to elevate, raise; to exalt, glorify, honour; to sublimate, vaporize”)), from sublīmis (“elevated, raised; exalted, uplifted, sublime; elevated in style”) (from sub- (prefix meaning ‘under; up to’) + possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *Heh₃l- (“to bend”) (whence Latin līmen (“threshold”) and līmus (“askew; sideways”))) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs). * From sublime (adjective). Cognates * Catalan sublimar * Italian sublimare * Old Occitan sublimar * Portuguese sublimar * Spanish sublimar

Etymology 2

The adjective is derived from Middle French sublime (“admirable, excellent, perfect; placed in a high position; reaching a great height; of a person: of high office or rank”) (modern French sublime), and from its etymon Latin sublīmis, sublīmus (“elevated, raised; exalted, uplifted, sublime”, adjective): see etymology 1. The noun is derived from Middle French sublime (“elevated style in writing; quality in art or nature inspiring awe, reverence, etc.”) (modern French sublime), from the adjective: see further above. Cognates * Catalan sublim * Italian sublime * Portuguese sublime * Spanish sublime

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