sublime

Syllables: sub·limeUK/səˈblaɪm/

sublime verb: 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.

Verb

sublime (third-person singular simple present sublimes, present participle subliming, simple past and past participle sublimed)

(transitive) 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.
- 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?1610 (first performance), Ben[jamin] Jonson, The Alchemist, London: […] Thomas Snodham, for Walter Burre, and are to be sold by Iohn Stepneth, […], published 1612, →OCLC, Act II, scene v, signature...
- The aſhes either of Pit-Coal, or Sea-Coal, make no Efferveſcence vvith Alkalies or Acids. VVhence the ſaline Principle is altogether volatile, and ſublimed avvay by the fire.1677, Nehemiah Grew, “[Several Lectures Read before the Royal Society.] Experiments in Consort of the Luctation Arising from the Affusion of Several Menstruums upon All Sorts of Bodies, Exhibited to...
(archaic, transitive) To obtain or purify (a substance) in this manner.
- [I]t [niter, or sodium carbonate] Calcineth, Sublimeth and Diſſolveth Minerals and Metals.1670 July 28 (Gregorian calendar), “III. The Natural History of Niter, or, a Philosophical Discourse of the Nature, Generation, Place, and Artificial Extraction of Niter, with Its Vertues and Uses...
(broadly, figuratively, transitive) To raise (someone or an intangible thing) to a state of (especially moral or spiritual) excellence; to exalt.
- Thoſe vvords vvhich doe ſublime the quinteſſence of bliſſe, […]1591, P[hilip] S[idney], “[Sonnet 77]”, in Sir P. S. His Astrophel and Stella […], London: […] [John Danter] for Thomas Newman, →OCLC, page 23
- Miſtris Medulla, the Sunne of honour ſhine upon your hopes, till it ſublime you to a Ladiſhip: I vvill attend you preſently.1625 February 20 (date licensed; Gregorian calendar), I. [i.e., James] S[hirley], The Schoole of Complement. […], 2nd edition, London: […] I. H. for Francis Constable, […], published 1637, →OCLC, Act...
Synonyms:

sublimate
(obsolete, transitive) To cause (someone or something) to ascend; to raise (someone or something) to a high position.
- I am ſublim'd! groſſe earth
  Supports me not. I vvalk on ayr!1632 June 4 (date licensed; Gregorian calendar), Phillip [i.e., Philip] Massinger, The City-Madam, a Comedie. […], London: […] Andrew Pennycuicke, […], published 1659, →OCLC, Act III, scene iii, page...
- But thou (dear Vine) forbid'ſt me to be long,
  Although thy Trunk be neither large, nor ſtrong,
  Nor can thy Head (not helpt) it ſelf ſublime,
  Yet like a Serpent, a tall Tree can climb, […]1669, John Denham, “Cato Major of Old Age. A Poem. The Third Part.”, in Poems and Translations, with The Sophy. […], 4th edition, London: […] T[homas] W[arren] for H[enry] Herringman and sold by...
(obsolete, transitive) To cause (juice or sap) to rise in a plant.
- [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, […]1640, John Parkinson, “Camphora. Camfire.”, in Theatrum Botanicum: The Theater of Plants. Or, An Herball of a Large Extent: […], London: […] Tho[mas] Cotes, →OCLC, page 1575
(obsolete, transitive) Especially of the sun: to heat (something) and cause vapours, etc., to rise from it.
- 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; […]1711 May, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Criticism, London: […] W[illiam] Lewis […]; and sold by W[illiam] Taylor […], T[homas] Osborn[e] […], and J[ohn] Graves […], →OCLC, page 24
- [O]n the swamps of the Caroni the malarious fog hung motionless in long straight lines, waiting for the first blaze of sunrise to sublime it and its invisible poisons into the upper air, where it would be swept off, harmless, by the trade-wind which rushed along half a mile above our heads.1871, Charles Kingsley, “Monos”, in At Last: A Christmas in the West Indies. […], volume I, London; New York, N.Y.: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, pages 181–182
(obsolete, transitive) To purify (someone) from a bad influence or from sin.
(obsolete, transitive) To raise (someone) to a high office or status; to dignify, to exalt.
- 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?1610 (first performance), Ben[jamin] Jonson, The Alchemist, London: […] Thomas Snodham, for Walter Burre, and are to be sold by Iohn Stepneth, […], published 1612, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, signature...
Synonyms:

sublimate
(obsolete, transitive) To raise (a physical thing) to a state of excellence; to improve.
- [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, […]1653 (indicated as 1654), “The Real Presence and Spiritual of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, Proved against the Doctrine of Transubstantiation. Section V. Subject Continued [Of the Words of...
- [F]lours and thir fruit
  Mans nouriſhment, by gradual ſcale ſublim'd
  To vital Spirits aſpire, […]1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished...
Synonyms:

sublimate
(intransitive) Of a substance: to change from a solid into a gas without passing through the liquid state, with or without being heated.
- Then diſtil it, and you ſhall have a Philoſophical ☿ [mercury], and what Sublimeth is the Sulphur, which keep apart.1883, J[ohn] U[ri] Lloyd, “Elixirs”, in Elixirs: Their History, Formulæ, and Methods of Preparation […] (Pharmaceutical Preparations), 2nd edition, Cincinnati, Oh.: Robert Clarke & Company, →OCLC...
(intransitive) Of a substance: to change from a gas into a solid without passing through the liquid state.
(broadly, figuratively, intransitive) To become higher in quality or status; to improve.

Adjective

sublime (comparative sublimer, superlative sublimest)

(archaic, obsolete, poetic) High, tall, towering; also, positioned in a high place; high-up, lofty.
- 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.1697, Virgil, “The Sixth Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 384, lines...
(figuratively) Of an aspect of art or nature: causing awe or deep respect due to its beauty or magnificence; awe-inspiring, impressive.
- sublime scenery
- We had entered the clouds. For half-an-hour we were muffled in a cold, damp mist, and total darkness, and had begun to think of going indoors when, all at once, the car burst into the pure and starlit region of the upper air. A cry of joyous admiration escaped from us all. The spectacle before us...1897, John Munro, chapter VI, in A Trip to Venus
(figuratively) Of flight: ascending, soaring.
(figuratively) Of an idea or other thing: requiring great intellectual effort to appreciate or understand; very elevated, refined, or subtle.
(figuratively) Of language, style, or writing: expressing opinions in a grand way.
(figuratively) Of a person or their actions or qualities: intellectually, morally, or spiritually superior.
- a sublime deed
- Know how sublime a thing it is,
  To suffer and be strong.1838 October, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “The Light of Stars”, in Voices of the Night, Cambridge, Mass.: […] John Owen, published 1839, →OCLC, page 13
(figuratively) 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.
- the Sublime Porte
(figuratively) Of a thing: consummate, perfect; (informal, loosely) excellent, marvellous, wonderful.
- 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...1709, Mat[thew] Prior, “To Dr. [William] Sherlock, on His Practical Discourse Concerning Death”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC, page 37
- Cigarettes are poison and they taste bad; they are not exactly beautiful, they are exactly sublime. The difference, to use the terms in which [Immanuel] Kant makes the distinction, means that smoking cigarettes gives rise to forms of aesthetic pleasure painfully at odds with the affect arising from...1993, Richard Klein, “Cigarettes are Sublime”, in Cigarettes are Sublime, Durham, N.C.; London: Duke University Press, →ISBN, pages 62–63
(archaic, figuratively, poetic) Of a person: dignified, majestic, noble.
- the sublime Julian leader1842, Thomas De Quincey, “Cicero”, in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine
(archaic, figuratively, poetic) Of a person: haughty, proud.
- countenance sublime and insolent1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book V, Canto VIII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 30
- His fair large Front and Eye ſublime declar'd
  Abſolute rule;1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished...
(figuratively, informal) Complete, downright, utter.
- He is behaving like a sublime idiot.
Synonyms:

absolute, out-and-out
(figuratively, obsolete) Elevated by joy; elated.
- While thir hearts were jocund and ſublime,
  Drunk with Idolatry, drunk with Wine,1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […].”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 96

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(figuratively, obsolete) Of a substance: purified, refined; hence, of the highest quality.
(obsolete, poetic, postpositional) Of arms: lifted up, raised.
(obsolete) 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.

Antonyms:

profound
(obsolete) Of breathing: very laboured.

Noun

sublime (countable and uncountable, plural sublimes)

(archaic) Something which is sublime; a sublimity.
- Car[los]. VVhat is your opinion of the Play?
  Yo[ung] Mag[got]. […] There are a great many ſublimes that are very Poetical.1678 March 31 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), Tho[mas] Shadwell, A True Widow. A Comedy, […], London: […] Benjamin Tooke, […], published 1679, →OCLC, Act I, page 6
- [S]ince there are tvvo ſorts of Sublimes, the one of Nonſence, and the other of Eloquence, I vvill not take upon me to judge to vvhich of theſe this belongs.1687, G[ilbert] Burnet, “A Defence of the Reflections on the Ninth Book of the First Volum of Mr. Varillas’s History of Heresies. Being a Reply to His Answer.”, in Reflections on Mr. Varillas’s...
(archaic) In the form the sublime of: the highest degree; the acme, the height.
- 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, […]1817 (date written), [Lord Byron], “Stanza LXX”, in Beppo, a Venetian Story, London: John Murray, […], published 1818, →OCLC, page 36
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.
- [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...1756 (date written), [Edmund Burke], “Sect. XI. Why Visual Objects of Great Dimensions are Sublime.”, in A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful, London: […]...
- [Our old meeting house's] double row of windows, of which I knew the number by heart, its doors with great wooden quirls over them, its belfry projecting out that the east end, its steeple and bell, all inspired as much sense of the sublime in me as Stratsburg Cathedral itself, and the inside was...1840 August, H[arriet] Beecher Stowe, “Sketches from the Note Book of an Old Gentleman. No. I.—The Old Meeting House.”, in Sarah J[osepha] Hale, Lydia H[untley] Sigourney, Louis A[ntoine] Godey...
A style of language or writing which expresses opinions in a grand way.
- 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: […]1850, Alfred Tennyson, “Part IV”, in The Princess: A Medley, 3rd edition, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 100
That which is intellectually, morally, or spiritually superior in human life or human nature.
- 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.1795, Thomas Paine, The Age of Reason. Part the Second. Being an Investigation of True and Fabulous Theology, London: […] H. D. Symonds, […], →OCLC, page 22
- There was an iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart—an unredeemed dreariness of thought which no goading of the imagination could torture into aught of the sublime. What was it—I paused to think—what was it that so unnerved me in the contemplation of the House of Usher?1839 September, Edgar A[llan] Poe, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, in William E[vans] Burton and Edgar A. Poe, editors, Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine, and American Monthly Review, volume V, number...
(archaic, uncountable) The quality or state of being sublime; sublimeness, sublimity.
- [W]hatever VVord or Sentence is Printed in a different Character, ſhall be judged to contain ſomething extraordinary either of VVit or Sublime.1704, [Jonathan Swift], “The Preface”, in A Tale of a Tub. […], London: […] John Nutt, […], →OCLC

Proper noun capitalized: Sublime

Sublime

An unincorporated community in Lavaca County, Texas, United States.

sublime meaning in Tamil, Urdu, Bengali and Malayalam

sublime in Tamil

உயரிய, உன்னத, மேலெழு, மொழியால், எண்ணத்தால் உயர்ந்த, சிறப்பான

sublime in Urdu

عالی, بلند, رفیع, ثاقب

sublime in Bengali

মহিমান্বিত, মহত্তম, উচ্চ, শ্রেষ্ঠ, মহীয়ান করা

sublime in Malayalam

ഉന്നതമായ, അത്യുദാത്തമായ

More languagesFewer languages

sublime in Kannada: ಅಗ್ಗಳಿಕೆಯ, ಮೇಲ್ಮಟ್ಟದ, ಬೆರಗುಗೊಳಿಸುವ, ಮೆಚ್ಚತಕ್ಕ
sublime in Sanskrit: ऋष्व ṛṣva

Examples of sublime in a sentence

[W]e may finde […] that confirmation in grace, I say, by which free will is transfigured and sublimed into a state divine; […]1643, J[ohn] M[ilton], A Soveraigne Salve to Cure the Blind. […], London: […] T[homas] P[aine] and M[atthew] S[immons], →OCLC, archived...
Monimia hears not my complaints; her ſoul, ſublimed far, far above all ſublunary cares, enjoys that felicity, of vvhich ſhe was debarred on earth.1753, [Tobias Smollett], “His Return to England, and Midnight Pilgrimage to Monimia’s Tomb”, in The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom....
This character may be considered as a personification of the pride of will and eagerness of curiosity, sublimed beyond the reach of fear and remorse.1820, William Hazlitt, “Lecture II. On the Dramatic Writers Contemporary with Shakespear, Lyly, Marlow, Heywood, Middleton, and Rowley.”...
His very selfishness therefore is sublimed into public spirit: and this public spirit is stimulated to fierce enthusiasm by sympathy, by the desire of applause, and by the dread of infamy.1851, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter XII, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume III, London...

All 36 example sentences with sublime

Synonyms of sublime

Antonyms

All synonyms and antonyms of sublime

Forms of sublime

Verb
third-person singular present	sublimes
present participle	subliming
past participle	sublimed
past	sublimed
second-person singular present (archaic)	sublimest
second-person singular past (archaic)	sublimedst
third-person singular present (archaic)	sublimeth
Adjective
comparative	sublimer
superlative	sublimest
Noun
plural	sublimes

Past tense of sublime: sublimed

Origin of sublime

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 *...

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

Words formed from sublime

Phrases with sublime

Sublime State of Afghanistan

Words that rhyme with sublime

31 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about sublime

What does sublime mean?: Sublime means 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.
What is sublime in Tamil?: Sublime in Tamil is உயரிய, உன்னத, மேலெழு. See Sublime meaning in Tamil.
How do you use sublime in a sentence?: [W]e may finde […] that confirmation in grace, I say, by which free will is transfigured and sublimed into a state divine; […]
What part of speech is sublime?: Sublime can be a verb, an adjective, a noun or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce sublime?: Sublime is pronounced /səˈblaɪm/ (UK).
What is the past tense of sublime?: The past tense of sublime is sublimed.

Words near sublime in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: sublime (page history and authors); Sublime (page history and authors); sublime (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); sublime (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); sublime (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); sublime (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); sublime (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-us-sublime.ogg.

Cite this entry: “sublime.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sublime. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.