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
: 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
Rapid digital transformations have sophisticated modern consumers expecting seamless, personalized brand interactions across channels — transient engagements that must delight customers to earn their loyalty. Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2024 Plus, the vegan leather accents, as Oprah mentioned, really sophisticate the piece and pull its colors together. Kayla Blanton, Peoplemag, 28 Nov. 2023 These soft, stretchy trousers are comfy enough to wear on the plane yet sophisticated enough to wear to a business meeting or networking event. Theresa Holland, Travel + Leisure, 24 Feb. 2023 Dawson plays the breezy sophisticate more convincingly than the lovelorn man inside. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Sep. 2022 Nor was Ashley the only Bridgerton sophisticate gracing the Met Gala red carpet. Lauren Puckett-Pope, ELLE, 3 May 2022 The movie starred Jill Clayburgh as Erica Benton, an Upper West Side sophisticate whose comfortable life unravels when her husband moves out during a midlife crisis. Kara Baskin, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Apr. 2022 As for the clothes, the look is a touch ’80s sophisticate through the Chanel lens. Alison S. Cohn, Harper's BAZAAR, 10 Jan. 2022 In these books, French women are boiled down to one reductive stereotype: the thin, white, rich Parisian sophisticate in a striped shirt, trench coat and Hermès scarf. Rory Satran, WSJ, 27 Nov. 2021
Noun
Yet his ideal was not a fresh faced flapper but a sophisticate. Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 6 Dec. 2023 While many of today’s elders are tech sophisticates who order from Amazon and chat on FaceTime, nearly a third of those over 65 don’t have smartphones. Lexi Pandell, WIRED, 31 Aug. 2023 Skin is important here, not just its color but its texture as Josephine, for example, goes from elegant sophisticate to sweaty, sunburned, frizzy virago increasingly swollen with pregnancy and angry mosquito bites. Jessica Kiang, Variety, 25 Aug. 2023 While some American families publish every single one of their maternity milestones on the internet for the world to see, sophisticates like Ashley Olsen keep the whole baby process as private as can be. Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 15 Aug. 2023 And most of the people who really pushed its limits were tech sophisticates who won't confuse industrial-grade autocomplete—which is a common simplification of what large language models (LLMs) are—with consciousness. Rob Reid, Ars Technica, 24 Feb. 2023 Ostensibly his appeal was as a sophisticate. Nat Segnit, Harper’s Magazine , 16 Mar. 2022 The buzzy vibe at Primrose, a recent addition, skews more urban sophisticate than traditional ski town, with top-notch service to match. Cindy Hirschfeld, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2023 Whether your style is timeless sophisticate or the latest TikTok-core, there’s a great pair of knee-high boots for you. Nicola Fumo, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Oct. 2022

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 19 Mar. 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

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