sophisticate

1 of 2

verb

so·​phis·​ti·​cate sə-ˈfi-stə-ˌkāt How to pronounce sophisticate (audio)
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

sophisticate

2 of 2

noun

so·​phis·​ti·​cate sə-ˈfi-sti-kət How to pronounce sophisticate (audio) -stə-ˌkāt How to pronounce sophisticate (audio)
: a sophisticated person

Examples of sophisticate in a Sentence

Verb there's no need to sophisticate something that is beautiful in its simplicity vanilla extract that has been sophisticated with corn syrup Noun sophisticates laughing at people they thought of as hicks
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Poverty and purpose are more intractable problems, but fate brings Gordon into the circle of the West Village sophisticates Philip and Nicola. Rumaan Alam, New York Times, 21 May 2024 But there are no chips or computerized warning systems sophisticated enough to predict Taiwan’s biggest threat: a deepening political and economic rivalry between the United States and China that threatens to enfold the entire world. Frank Shyong, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Noun
Those are welcome at the box office, but would face a steep climb with the film Academy’s growing crowd of international sophisticates. Michael Cieply, Deadline, 1 July 2024 The idea, which came from screenwriter Richard Curtis, was to have two upper-middle-class urban sophisticates subbing in for the rural Wayne archetype. Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sophisticate 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sophisticate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1923, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sophisticate was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near sophisticate

Cite this Entry

“Sophisticate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sophisticate. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

sophisticate

1 of 2 verb
so·​phis·​ti·​cate sə-ˈfis-tə-ˌkāt How to pronounce sophisticate (audio)
sophisticated; sophisticating
: to cause to become sophisticated
sophistication
-ˌfis-tə-ˈkā-shən
noun

sophisticate

2 of 2 noun
so·​phis·​ti·​cate sə-ˈfis-ti-kət How to pronounce sophisticate (audio)
-tə-ˌkāt
: a sophisticated person

Medical Definition

sophisticate

transitive verb
so·​phis·​ti·​cate sə-ˈfis-tə-ˌkāt How to pronounce sophisticate (audio)
sophisticated; sophisticating
: to make impure : adulterate
a sophisticated oil

More from Merriam-Webster on sophisticate

Last Updated: - Definition revised
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!