sublimate

/ˈsʌblɪmeɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈsʌblɪmeɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsə-blə-ˌmāt How to pronounce sublimate (audio)/ (ame, mw)

sublimate — verb

  • sublimatepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • sublimateshe / she / it
  • sublimatedpast simple
  • sublimating-ing form

1. to direct a strong feeling or desire into work, art, sport, or another activity

1.動詞及物C2
釋義

to direct a strong feeling or desire into work, art, sport, or another activity that people see as acceptable.

例句

After the divorce, Rania sublimated her anger into long evening runs by the river.

sublimate + emotion into + activity

The coach taught the boys to sublimate their aggression into hard, fair play.

sublimate aggression into + sport

同義詞
  • channel

    a more common word for directing energy or emotion toward a purpose

  • redirect

    more neutral and practical; does not suggest psychological transformation as strongly

  • transform

    broader; it can describe any kind of change, not specifically redirected desire

反義詞
  • indulge

    suggests letting the feeling express itself directly instead of redirecting it

  • act out

    means showing emotion openly in behaviour rather than turning it into acceptable work

文法句型

sublimate + anger/desire/grief + into + activity

sublimate + emotion + by + doing + activity

用法筆記

Usually takes an object naming an emotion or desire, followed by 'into' or 'by' plus the new activity. Common in psychology and formal discussion, not in casual everyday speech.

常見錯誤

❌She sublimated at the gym after the argument.
✅She sublimated her anger at the gym after the argument.
💡this sense normally takes the feeling as its object.

2. to go straight from the solid state to gas, or to make a substance do this, with

2.動詞及物 / 不及物C2
釋義

to go straight from the solid state to gas, or to make a substance do this, without becoming liquid first.

例句

At room temperature, dry ice sublimates slowly and fills the box with white mist.

intransitive: solid sublimates

In the lab, Sofia sublimated iodine crystals in a sealed glass tube.

transitive: sublimate + substance

同義詞
  • vaporize

    broader; it means become gas, but it does not specifically imply starting from a solid

  • volatilize

    technical and wider in meaning; often used for substances turning into vapour

反義詞
  • condense

    moves matter out of gas form rather than into it

  • solidify

    forms or returns to a solid instead of becoming gas

文法句型

solid + sublimate

sublimate + substance

sublimate + into + gas

用法筆記

Common in science writing. Unlike 'melt', this sense skips the liquid stage completely, and unlike 'evaporate', it starts from a solid.

常見錯誤

❌The solid melted and then sublimated into steam.
✅The solid sublimated directly into vapour.
💡sublimation skips the liquid stage.

3. to make something purer, finer, or more exact, especially in a way that gives it

3.動詞及物C2
釋義

to make something purer, finer, or more exact, especially in a way that gives it a more polished form.

例句

Years of revision sublimated Hana's rough notes into calm, exact essays.

sublimate + rough material into + refined result

The new editor helped sublimate the magazine's loud style into something leaner.

sublimate style into + cleaner form

同義詞
  • refine

    the nearest common word; less elevated and less figurative than sublimate

  • distill

    often stresses reducing something to its purest or clearest form

  • elevate

    focuses on raising quality or tone, not necessarily making it more exact

反義詞
  • coarsen

    make something rougher or less delicate

  • debase

    lower quality or dignity instead of improving it

文法句型

sublimate + rough material + into + refined form

sublimate + style/idea/energy

用法筆記

Formal and often figurative. The object is usually an idea, style, or raw quality that becomes more controlled or refined. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 3 improves the thing itself, rather than redirecting an emotion into an activity.

常見錯誤

❌The designer sublimated for a better logo.
✅The designer sublimated the rough logo into a cleaner one.
💡this sense needs an object that is being refined.

sublimate — noun