so·phis·ti·cate
sə-ˈfi-stə-ˌkāt 
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
so·phis·ti·cate
sə-ˈfi-sti-kət
-stə-ˌkāt
: a sophisticated person
Synonyms
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
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
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 
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.
Dictionary Entries Near sophisticate
Cite this Entry
“Sophisticate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sophisticate. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sophisticate
1 of 2 verb
so·phis·ti·cate
sə-ˈfis-tə-ˌkāt
sophisticated; sophisticating
: to cause to become sophisticated
sophistication
noun
-ˌfis-tə-ˈkā-shən
sophisticate
2 of 2 noun
so·phis·ti·cate
sə-ˈfis-ti-kət
-tə-ˌkāt
: a sophisticated person
Medical Definition
sophisticate
transitive verb
so·phis·ti·cate
sə-ˈfis-tə-ˌkāt
sophisticated; sophisticating
: to make impure : adulterate
a sophisticated oil
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