How to Memorize

sublimate - purify

Analysis

Technically speaking to ‘sublimate’ is to transform a solid into a vapour. However, this formal word is most commonly used to express diverting or modifying something base or inappropriate, such as an instinctual impulse, into something more positive and socially acceptable. In that sense, it can be seen as a process of purification.

Example(s)

1. The hardest part of getting the team to work together as a cohesive unit was trying to find a way to sublimate individual egos.

2. Sport is often seen as a sublimation of violent tendencies and urges, which is why it can be especially beneficial for troubled teens.

3. Mary sublimated the grief she felt after her father’s death by taking over his business to ensure that it remained in operation.