French Conversation · Level 80
60 words
French word
affiner
Pronunciation
IPA/afine/
Meaning
- verbrefine
Example
Elle cherche à affiner son style.
She is trying to refine her style.
More examples
Pour affiner la recette, il ajuste les quantités d'épices.
To refine the recipe, he adjusts the quantities of spices.
Core concept
A careful hand removes small roughness from an object, taste, or idea until its quality and precision increase.
Common phrases
affiner son style
refine his style
affiner une stratégie
refine a strategy
affiner la recette
refine the recipe
Similar words
améliorer: To make a condition or performance better and increase its value or effect.
peaufiner: To polish the fine details until the work is fully finished.
perfectionner: To develop a skill or process through repetition until it reaches a higher standard.
nuancer: To introduce fine shades of meaning or expression that alter the impression.
Definition in French
Opérer des retouches fines pour augmenter la qualité, la précision ou la subtilité d'un objet, d'un goût ou d'une idée.
Word origin
French affiner developed from Old French afiner, formed with a- and fin from Latin finis, and came to mean making something finer or more precise.
Usage tips
- Affiner is normally transitive, so French uses affiner quelque chose, as in affiner son style.
Other meanings
- fine-tuneverb
- ageverb
Opposites
- gâcherruinverb
- bâclerdo a sloppy jobverb
Related words
- affinérefinedadjective
- affinageagingnoun
- affinementfine-tuningnoun