as in cosmopolitan
a person with the outlook, experience, and manners thought to be typical of big city dwellers
sophisticates laughing at people they thought of as hicks
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to complex
to make complex or difficult
there's no need to sophisticate something that is beautiful in its simplicity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to dilute
to alter (something) for the worse with the addition of foreign or lower-grade substances
vanilla extract that has been sophisticated with corn syrup
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sophisticate
Armond White, National Review, 9 July 2025
How things have changed: My interlocutor was one member of a large and diverse constituency of urban sophisticates who espouse comparable positions, not infrequently in the same gratingly defiant terms.
—Ian Volner, Artforum, 28 May 2025
Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 12 Sep. 2025
Entire ecosystems of expertise had blossomed in academia and government to model the scenarios that might lead to Armageddon, and the resulting game theory, though sophisticated, was relatively straightforward.
—Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 17 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sophisticate
Noun
The Friend is Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s class-conscious lament for how urban sophisticates (Naomi Watts, Bill Murray, and a Great Dane) deny but can’t escape spiritual obligations.
—Armond White, National Review, 9 July 2025
How things have changed: My interlocutor was one member of a large and diverse constituency of urban sophisticates who espouse comparable positions, not infrequently in the same gratingly defiant terms.
—Ian Volner, Artforum, 28 May 2025
Verb
With notes of caramel, maple sugar, and whipped coconut, Ellis Brooklyn’s latest launch proves that sweet can still be sophisticated.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 12 Sep. 2025
Entire ecosystems of expertise had blossomed in academia and government to model the scenarios that might lead to Armageddon, and the resulting game theory, though sophisticated, was relatively straightforward.
—Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 17 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sophisticate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sophisticate
Noun
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Alas, Jewish skeptics of Zionism who preferred to think of themselves as cosmopolitans found no reprieve.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
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The adjective cosmopolitan only begins to describe Sajet, who has had important life experiences on four continents.—
Jim Higgins,
jsonline.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Those sums would likely be diluted, given baseball teams carry 26 players and NBA teams carry up to 15, but money is still money.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
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Just be sure to dilute it with a carrier oil like coconut or almond oil before massaging it into sore spots.—
Iman Balagam,
Vogue,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Elhawary acknowledged the billionaire tax proposal is a complicating factor in discussions about taxes, which is already a politically fraught issue.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Mental advocates pointed to one misunderstood aspect of a serious mental illness, which complicates ideas of patient autonomy and choice.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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When stormwater dirtied by road runoff, failing septic tanks and fertilizer sullied crystal-clear rivers and lakes, and nobody cared.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Jan. 2026
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Keep them in reserve as a sleep sock to ward off icy toes and prevent sweat and skin oils from dirtying your down sleeping bag.—
Adam Roy,
Outside,
28 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Wash them or load them into the dishwasher, and run it if necessary.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
16 Jan. 2026
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It was caused by a man who allegedly cut out 800 feet of fiber optic cable from an agency facility in Hayward, and loaded several spools of the wiring into his truck, authorities said.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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For part of the trial of El Chapo, the city shut down the Brooklyn Bridge; his lawyers tried to move the proceedings to Philadelphia, because the jury pool was poisoned by angry commuters.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Alice is paranoid, thinking her roommate is rearranging her shower supplies and that someone might be poisoning her food.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Fish populations have thinned; alligators have become scrawny.—
Amy Green,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
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In 2025, climate change’s impacts were felt throughout the state, from devastating wildfires to a thinning snowpack and declining kelp forests.—
Chaewon Chung
Updated January 8,
Sacbee.com,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Carolina cut the lead 17-14 at halftime after a 1-yard touchdown run by Hubbard and a 16-yard scramble by Young, the second-longest TD run of his career.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
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This same staff cut him to make room for a waiver-wire claim before the start of the 2024 season.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sophisticate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sophisticate. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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