To sublimate means to change a solid directly to vapor, or to redirect unacceptable desires or impulses into socially acceptable forms.
To cause to pass directly from the solid to the vapor state; to direct the expression of (a desire or impulse) from a primitive to a more socially and culturally acceptable form.
| Front | sublimate \SUB-luh-mayt\ |
|---|---|
| Back | verb 1. To cause to pass directly from the solid to the vapor state. 2. To direct the expression of (a desire or impulse) from a primitive to a more socially and culturally acceptable form. [To sublimate is to change the form, but not the essence. Physically speaking, it means to transform solid to vapor; psychologically, it means changing the outlet, or means, of expression from something base and inappropriate to something more positive or acceptable. The word "sublimate" comes from the Latin verb "sublimare," which means "to lift up" or "raise" and which is also the ancestor of our "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.] "Jeb's letter made Marcy want to scream and throw things, but instead she sublimated her anger by writing a tart reply." |
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