The targeted improvement of a prompt or output based on feedback, testing, or observed failures.
Refinement is the process of making focused adjustments to improve prompt performance. Instead of rewriting everything from scratch, refinement identifies where the prompt is weak and changes the parts that matter.
Common refinements include adding context, tightening instructions, changing output format, clarifying constraints, or introducing examples. The goal is to improve reliability without unnecessary complexity.
Refinement is central to prompt engineering because strong prompts are usually developed through iteration rather than discovered fully formed.