sophisticate

verb so·phis·ti·cate \ sə-ˈfi-stə-ˌkāt \

Updated on: 27 Nov 2017

Definition of sophisticate

sophisticated; sophisticating

transitive verb

1 : to alter deceptively; especially : adulterate

2 : to deprive of genuineness, naturalness, or simplicity; especially : to deprive of naïveté and make worldly-wise : disillusion

3 : to make complicated or complex

See sophisticate defined for kids

Examples of sophisticate in a Sentence

there's no need to sophisticate something that is beautiful in its simplicity
vanilla extract that has been sophisticated with corn syrup

Recent Examples of sophisticate from the Web

What’s more, experts say that if every vehicle on the road had sophisticated autonomous vehicle technology on board, highway officials could make lanes narrower and pack more cars on the road without expensive lane expansion projects.

— marco della cava, Detroit Free Press, "Ready or not, self-driving cars are coming," 25 June 2017
What’s more, experts say that if every vehicle on the road had sophisticated autonomous vehicle technology on board, highway officials could make lanes narrower and pack more cars on the road without expensive lane expansion projects.

— marco della cava, USA TODAY, "Prepared or not, states get ready for self-driving revolution," 25 June 2017
The selections that most closely matched Barnhart’s sophisticated aesthetic worked best.

— bill brownlee, kansascity, "Carole King, James Taylor songs given cabaret treatments in Quality Hill’s ‘You’ve Got a Friend’," 11 June 2017
Sophisticated US leadership is the sine qua non of a stable world order.

— laurie kellman, The Seattle Times, "Carter national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski dies," 26 May 2017
That’s after owner and chef Laurie Williamson’s sophisticated five-course dinner, which changes weekly and is only offered Friday and Saturday.

— celestina blok, star-telegram, "Luxe Texas babymoon destinations for expectant couples," 12 May 2017
The president would trumpet his plan to grow military spending aboard the Navy’s sophisticated new aircraft carrier.

— ashley parker, Twin Cities, "Trump’s weekend: The president rages at leaks, setbacks and accusations," 6 Mar. 2017
Alessandro Michele’s rebrand had infused the company with flamboyance, joie de vivre, whimsy and sass, but looking at some outfits suggested Ed Hardy’s sophisticated older cousin, Édouard.

— jon caramanica, New York Times, "Is Bally More Interesting Than Gucci? Depends Who’s Tweeting," 13 Sep. 2017
Insurers have, until recently, simply not had access to the right data, or to models sophisticated enough to gauge flood risk properly.

— The Economist, "Hurricane Harvey has exposed the inadequacy of flood insurance," 7 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sophisticate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of sophisticate

Middle English, from Medieval Latin sophisticatus, past participle of sophisticare, from Latin sophisticus sophistic, from Greek sophistikos, from sophistēs sophist

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

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sophisticate Synonyms

Synonyms

complex, complexify, embarrass, entangle, perplex, complicate

Antonyms

simplify, streamline

Related Words

develop, elaborate, expand; intensify, magnify; confound, confuse, mess (up), mix (up), muddle; snarl, tangle

Near Antonyms

abbreviate, cut, shorten; ease, facilitate; disentangle, straighten (out), unravel, untangle; oversimplify

sophisticate

noun so·phis·ti·cate \ sə-ˈfi-sti-kət , -stə-ˌkāt \

Definition of sophisticate

: a sophisticated person

See sophisticate defined for English-language learners

Examples of sophisticate in a Sentence

sophisticates laughing at people they thought of as hicks

Recent Examples of sophisticate from the Web

And in this town of rabid sushi sophisticates, crowning Sabuku Sushi San Diego’s best would be a foolish proposition.

— michele parente, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Is this the most delicious block in San Diego?," 24 Aug. 2017
Teeming with lobbyists, professors and political sophisticates, local officials can barely keep an arms-length from those who seek to influence them.

— sean rossman, USA TODAY, "FBI agents went undercover in Florida's capital for the 'biggest investigation in years'," 15 Aug. 2017
The hotel, which opened in November 2015, is luring fun-seeking families and businessmen alike with sleek, modern décor, state-of-the-art amenities, and superb service that read more big-city sophisticate than Midwestern stopover.

— Condé Nast Traveler, "JW Marriott Minneapolis Mall of America," 20 Oct. 2017
With Kreis offstage, setting this music to the entwinings of bored sophisticates doesn’t make much emotional impact.

— lawrence toppman, charlotteobserver, "Hope Muir’s Charlotte Ballet takes new chances – and they pay off | Charlotte Observer," 19 Oct. 2017
Put another way, come 2217, some things taken for granted now will make savages of today’s sophisticates.

— deroy murdock, National Review, "Monuments to Racist Democrats Should Enrage Leftist Mobs," 30 Aug. 2017
The general public now, however, would see Mr. Trump’s generals as the reliables, the dependables, the sophisticates of the administration.

— peggy noonan, WSJ, "Let Calm and Cool Trump ‘Fire and Fury’," 10 Aug. 2017
As a result, many grape varieties do well in eastern Washington, although none has seized the crown, and one—riesling—has an image problem thanks to a phobia of sweetness among would-be sophisticates.

— jay mcinerney, Town & Country, "How Washington State Became a Major Player in American Wine," 24 Oct. 2017
Our original audiences at Second City were all University of Chicago types and other assorted artists and eggheads, intellectuals, and sophisticates.

— steve heisler, Chicago Reader, "Jeers for Norm from Cheers," 8 Sep. 2017