1
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
2
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
James Duesterberg, New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sophisticating
Verb
-
Sarandon brings a welcome unpredictability to Sylvia, complicating a character who might otherwise have curdled into cliche.—
Natalia Winkelman,
Variety,
16 June 2026
-
That period was marred by thousands of disappearances and deaths, shaping Lebanese distrust and complicating feelings toward Syria.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
The potential pitfall of that is diluting Walker’s effectiveness at his primary position.—
Josh Kendall,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
The Supreme Court asked the lower court to look at its recent ruling in Louisiana, which weakened the Voting Rights Act — a law that previously placed sharp limits on states’ diluting the power of minority voters.—
Kaylah Jackson,
NBC news,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
At the same time, the pace of technological change is accelerating, and global competition is intensifying.—
Rachel Nuwer,
Scientific American,
16 June 2026
-
The upward pressure is intensifying this week as derivatives and other kinds of secondary financial instruments related to SpaceX go live.—
Tobias Burns,
CNBC,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
The interim agreement to end the Iran war has already reopened the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran effectively closed, cutting the global economy off from significant supplies of oil and natural gas.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
20 June 2026
-
But after the cost-cutting trade of Jonathan Greenard to Philadelphia, the depth chart for the edge rusher spots is thin.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
In a highly unusual move, the US Justice Department has urged a federalcourt to throw out a lawsuit against Elon Musk’s company xAI for its use of polluting gas turbines — sparking concerns the government is trying to undermine the ability of individuals or communities to sue polluters.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
-
Perversely, this exemption may encourage companies to switch to highly-polluting diesel engines to avoid idling fines.—
Chris Hartmann,
New York Daily News,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
To address this workflow conundrum, Maono has developed the P Series, which directly addresses this shift towards hybrid workflows and connectivity, where equipment needs to be streamlined for multi-device creation without loading on the technical complexity.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
-
Of course, Macy is not actually spending late nights at the distillery twisting knobs and loading the wash into fermenters.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Fears of government officials manipulating world events – including the Iran war – to make a quick buck.—
Matt Motta,
The Conversation,
16 June 2026
-
What online scammers are looking to steal The FBI issued a warning last month that cybercriminals are manipulating or reproducing the official FIFA World Cup website to scam fans who are looking for tickets, hospitality packages, merchandise, streaming access and betting opportunities.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Unlike measles outbreaks in Texas, South Carolina and Arizona, the spread in Utah has been tough to contain to one region — infecting undervaccinated communities in nearly every county.—
Devi Shastri,
Fortune,
20 June 2026
-
Instead of targeting machines through the BIOS or master boot record, one such bootkit attacked Mac OS X systems by infecting the EFI, a package of firmware that started the boot process.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sophisticating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sophisticating. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
