sophisticate

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

Updated on: 23 May 2018

Definition of sophisticate

sophisticated; sophisticating

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

Neither do sophisticated, authenticity-craving Parisians who choose Arles for their southern pied-à-terre.

— stephen heyman, Condé Nast Traveler, "Arles, France’s Old Arts Mecca, Is Also Its Newest," 1 May 2018
The process can be a financially and administratively painful one, but the IRS is supposed to have sophisticated computer systems that can process millions of last-minute filers.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "IRS to delay tax deadline by one day after agency's Tax Day technology collapse," 17 Apr. 2018
The process can be a financially and administratively painful one, but the IRS is supposed to have sophisticated computer systems that can process millions of last-minute filers.

— the washington post, OregonLive.com, "IRS extends tax-filing deadline after computer glitch," 17 Apr. 2018
The process can be a financially and administratively painful one, but the IRS is supposed to have sophisticated computer systems that can process millions of last-minute filers.

— carol robinson, AL.com, "70-year-old man killed in west Alabama crash," 17 Apr. 2018
While Cooper is typically sophisticated in his anti-Trump rhetoric, Cuomo attacks the president with more zeal.

— brian flood, Fox News, "CNN slashes Anderson Cooper’s program as network hopes to make room for anti-Trump Chris Cuomo," 14 Mar. 2018
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
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

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

sophisticate Synonyms

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

One is about well-to-do Manhattan sophisticates, the other focuses on a blue-collar family trying to make ends meet in flyover country.

— kristi turnquist, OregonLive.com, "How 'Roseanne,' 'Westworld,' #MeToo and more make TV a culture wars battleground -- again," 17 May 2018
One of the earliest television shows broadcast in color, Rocky and His Friends was clever, fast-paced, and funny, appealing equally to little kids, urbane sophisticates, and anarchic beatniks.

— noel murray, The Verge, "Amazon’s Rocky and Bullwinkle brings back an old favorite… but why?," 11 May 2018
Quiroz is the urban sophisticate, bright and articulate, with a round laughing face and connections with the best restaurants in Mexico City.

— junot díaz, The New Yorker, "The Hunt for Mexico’s Heirloom Beans," 17 Apr. 2018
The state launched two exceeding long shots, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama, to the White House, giving each a look and listen when sophisticates elsewhere treated their campaigns as the stuff of cockeyed fantasy.

— mark z. barabak, latimes.com, "Eric Garcetti, presidential long shot, journeys to Iowa, the land of dreams," 15 Apr. 2018
Her persona on-screen was that of a glossy, almost mannequin-like sophisticate, a swan-necked beauty with high cheekbones who yearns, cuckolds and destroys with not so much as a Gallic shrug.

— adam bernstein, Washington Post, "Stéphane Audran, acclaimed French actress of fire and ice, dies at 85," 27 Mar. 2018
The Hotel Figueroa is nearly finished with the two-year, top-to-bottom, inside-and-out renovation that has transformed it from a dowdy lodging appealing to budget travelers into a stylish trendsetter for creative sophisticates.

— valli herman, latimes.com, "The subtle ways the Hotel Figueroa's redesign is a tribute to women," 10 Mar. 2018
Some sophisticates, in New York and Hollywood smart sets, took these artists’ works in stride as populist chic.

— steven strogatz, The New Yorker, "Beyond “American Gothic”," 5 Mar. 2018
From Brooklyn hipsters to the nice people of Dallas, who desperately want to be perceived as urban sophisticates, the new uniform is simply a more comfortable replacement (more slovenly, many would say) for the old uniform.

— kevin d. williamson, National Review, "Devil May Care," 10 Jan. 2018