Word of the Day

: December 11, 2024

sublimate

verb SUB-luh-mayt

What It Means

To sublimate something—such as an impulse, desire, or feeling—is to express it in a changed form that is socially acceptable. Sublimate can also mean "to pass directly from the solid to the vapor state."

// Nora later came to understand that she had used painting to sublimate her anger.

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sublimate in Context

"You might think that because I am arguing that the happiest path is one in which we sublimate our true feelings and desires through greater self-control, I am advocating in effect for inauthenticity. But that's not my intention; rather, I am arguing for authentic self-improvement." — Arthur C. Brookes, The Atlantic, 2 May 2024

Did You Know?

To sublimate is to change the form, but not the essence. Physically speaking, a solid is said to sublimate when it transforms into a gas without first becoming liquid—a prime example being frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice) vaporizing at room temperature. To sublimate psychologically is to change the outlet, or means, of one's expression of desires and feelings from something unacceptable to something more culturally or socially acceptable. A person might sublimate feelings of grief following a disaster, for example, by devoting their time and energy to relief efforts. The word sublimate comes from the Latin verb sublimare, meaning "to elevate"; sublimare is also the ancestor of sublime. Sublimate itself once meant "to elevate to a place of dignity or honor" or "to give a more elevated character to," but these meanings are now obsolete.