1. excessive or exaggerated refinement; the quality of being refined to an unnecessary or counterproductive degree
The over-refinement of the proposal made it impractical and difficult to implement.
O refinamento excessivo da proposta a tornou impraticável e difícil de implementar.
2. in aesthetics or style, excessive attention to minute details or subtleties that detracts from the overall effect or accessibility
Critics argued that the artist's over-refinement of technique had lost the raw emotional power of their earlier work.
Os críticos argumentaram que o refinamento excessivo da técnica do artista havia perdido a força emocional bruta de seu trabalho anterior.
3. excessive politeness, delicacy, or formality in social interaction
The over-refinement in their speech patterns made casual conversation feel stilted and unnatural.
O refinamento excessivo em seus padrões de fala tornava a conversa casual rígida e artificial.