Sublime
adjective /səˈblaɪm/ — Beauty so intense it becomes overwhelming.
Definition
Of such excellence or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe; in philosophy, the quality of greatness that exceeds ordinary beauty.
Beyond the definition
The philosopher Edmund Burke distinguished the beautiful (pleasant, comforting) from the sublime (overwhelming, tinged with awe and even fear). A sunset can be beautiful; a storm at sea can be sublime. The Grand Canyon is not beautiful — it's sublime.
Origin & history
From Latin sublimis — high, lofty (sub 'up to' + limen 'threshold' or limus 'oblique'). Originally meaning 'up to the lintel.'
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The view from the ridge was not beautiful — it was sublime, and briefly terrifying.
She experienced something sublime in the last movement, a quality beyond pleasure.
The sublime requires a certain scale — ordinary things cannot be sublime.
How to use it
This entry uses an adjective. Follow the examples for the nouns it describes and its position in the sentence.
Choose “Sublime” when the meaning fits your context: Of such excellence or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe; in philosophy, the quality of greatness that exceeds ordinary beauty.
Synonyms
transcendent, magnificent, awe-inspiring, overwhelming, exalted
Antonyms
mundane, ordinary, mediocre
Related words
Sublime vs magnificent
Magnificent means impressively great or beautiful — lavish in scale or quality, inspiring admiration. Sublime is more philosophically specific: it describes beauty or greatness so extreme it overwhelms and even unsettles. Burke distinguished the beautiful (pleasing, comforting) from the sublime (overpowering, tinged with awe and fear). A palace can be magnificent; a storm at sea or the Grand Canyon is sublime. Magnificent inspires admiration; the sublime inspires awe.
Word in the Wild
Illustrative story: an imagined scene, not a documented event or interview.
She had seen the ocean before — it was not her first time. But something about this particular afternoon, this particular cliff, this particular light, made her stop walking and simply stand.
There was a feeling she didn't have a word for yet — not beauty exactly, because beauty felt too small for it. Something bigger than comfort, something that placed her firmly in proportion to the world: small, temporary, and inexplicably glad of it.
She stood there for twenty minutes. She did not take a photograph. Some experiences resist being the thing a photograph is for.
Questions about this word
What does "Sublime" mean?
Sublime is adjective meaning: Beauty so intense it becomes overwhelming.. Of such excellence or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe; in philosophy, the quality of greatness that exceeds ordinary beauty.
Which words express “too beautiful to describe”?
Sublime — Beauty so intense it becomes overwhelming.
Where does the word "Sublime" come from?
From Latin sublimis — high, lofty (sub 'up to' + limen 'threshold' or limus 'oblique'). Originally meaning 'up to the lintel.'