WordLens

sublimate

1 of 3verb
/ˈsʌblɪmeɪt/
Forms:sublimates,sublimating,sublimated,sublimated
1

to vaporize and then immediately condense again into a solid form

  • The iodine crystals sublimated and reformed on the cooler surface.
  • Camphor sublimates when gently heated.
  • The dry ice sublimates, forming vapor that crystallized nearby.
  • During the process, the compound sublimated onto the upper flask wall.
  • The scientist collected the purified material that had sublimated.
Synonyms:
sublime
2

to make something more refined or elevated

  • The artist sublimated raw emotion into elegant form.
  • Her grief was sublimated into poetry.
  • The philosopher tried to sublimate instinct into intellect.
  • He sublimated his anger into disciplined focus.
  • The film sublimates brutality into beauty.
Synonyms:
rarefysubtilize
3

to cause a solid to change directly into a gas without passing through the liquid phase

C2
  • Heat will sublimate the dry ice directly into a gas.
  • We sublimated the iodine sample under vacuum.
  • Heat sublimates dry ice into carbon dioxide gas.
  • The heat lamp sublimated the solid dye into vapor.
  • The intense sunlight sublimated the frost on the mountain peaks.
Synonyms:
sublime