SOPHISTICATING Synonyms: 96 Similar and Opposite Words

sophisticating

verb

present participle of sophisticate

as in complicating

to make complex or difficult there's no need to sophisticate something that is beautiful in its simplicity

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in diluting

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of sophisticating Logistically accelerating techno-economic interactivity crumbles social order in auto-sophisticating machine runaway. — James Duesterberg, New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sophisticating

Verb

Advertisement But, again, this result in Michigan may be a complicating factor as Democrats try to figure out their next leaders.

— Philip Elliott, Time, 5 Aug. 2026
The president's backing typically carries significant weight in Republican politics, but there could be a complicating factor.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of complicating

Verb

Instead of diluting its elite credibility to reach a broader audience, the brand translated that credibility into environments where the average person could understand its every day relevance.

— Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
The opposition was loud and varied, but a familiar line was that selling a portion of shares would cede control from fan groups to private investors, diluting the influence of supporters over time.

— Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 27 July 2026

Definition of diluting

Verb

Growing populations and expanding industries are intensifying freshwater shortages across parts of Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, increasing the need for sustainable water supplies.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 2 Aug. 2026
President Volodymyr Zelensky is intensifying appeals to the United States and NATO allies for Patriot missile interceptors.

— Vasilisa Stepanenko, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of intensifying

Verb

When cutting them back in the fall for the winter, leave a few branches for wildlife to use for protection, but be sure to remove all of the dead branches to reduce the risk of diseases.

— Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Aug. 2026
Broadcasters of all sizes, especially local station owners, have been battling cord-cutting and coping with ongoing audience and advertiser shifts away from linear viewing.

— Dade Hayes, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of cutting

Verb

To quickly get the facilities online, the company brought in heavily polluting gas turbines that residents complain is making the air hard to breathe.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 5 Aug. 2026
Apart from polluting ecosystems and leaving toxic residues on human food sources, these aggressive chemicals drive pests to develop genetic resistance, rendering treatments ineffective over time.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of polluting

Verb

Plenty of my friends worked there loading clays; nothing like working in a box in the middle of August, with the sun beating down on a barren landscape, just make gas money and some Friday night jingle.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Still, trading Ray will be another avenue to continue loading a farm system on the rise.

— Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 31 July 2026

Definition of loading

Verb

By manipulating network traffic, the attackers redirect guests to fake sign-in pages without first sending a phishing email or compromising the PC.

— Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
What is your reaction to Drew being the one to rat you out about lying and manipulating Angela with your dead mother story?

— Matt Minton, Variety, 31 July 2026

Definition of manipulating

Verb

Only the 2014–16 Ebola epidemic in West Africa has been larger and deadlier, infecting more than 28,600 people and killing 11,325 across Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

— Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
The thick, blackish blood that leaks out of these dying animals pours into the ground, infecting it with spores.

— RJ Mackenzie, Popular Science, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of infecting

Browse Nearby Words

sophisticates

sophisticating

sophistication

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Sophisticating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sophisticating. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of sophisticating

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

pedagogical

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes