sublime

B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal

adj. of very high quality; perfect or wonderful.

adj. denoting a state of being consummate or perfect; often used in a slightly lighter or more modern sense to mean excellent.

“The chocolate cake we had for dessert was sublime.”

“The chef's ability to balance such contrasting flavours was nothing short of sublime.”

C2 · Proficiency Formal

adj. used to describe a quality that is extreme or total, often in a way that is surprising.

adj. used to describe a quality that is extreme, absolute, or unparalleled, often in a negative or ironic context.

“He showed a sublime indifference to the rules of the game.”

“There is a sublime arrogance in assuming that the local population would simply accept the new laws without protest.”

C2 · Proficiency Science Technical

v. to change a substance directly from a solid into a gas without it becoming a liquid first.

v. to convert a substance from a solid state directly into a vapour by heat, and then allow it to solidify again.

“Dry ice will sublime at room temperature.”

“In the laboratory, the iodine was heated until it began to sublime, forming a rich purple vapour against the glass.”

C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun Academic · Literary

n. the most beautiful or perfect example of something.

n. the greatest or supreme degree of a quality; that which is awe-inspiring or transcendent.

“The painting is a perfect example of the sublime in romantic art.”

“The poet spent his life trying to capture the sublime through his descriptions of the natural world.”