sophisticated

[suh-fis-ti-key-tid]

adjective

1. (of a person, ideas, tastes, manners, etc.) altered by education, experience, etc., so as to be worldly-wise; not naive.

   a sophisticated young socialite;

   the sophisticated eye of an experienced journalist.

   Synonyms: cultivated, experienced, cosmopolitan, worldly
   Antonyms: naive

2. pleasing or satisfactory to the tastes of sophisticates, or people who are educated, cultured, and worldly-wise.

   sophisticated music.

3. deceptive; misleading.

4. complex or intricate, as a system, process, piece of machinery, or the like.

   a sophisticated electronic control system.

5. of, for, or reflecting educated taste, knowledgeable use, etc..

   Many Americans are drinking more sophisticated wines now.

sophisticated

/ səˈfɪstɪˌkeɪtɪd /

adjective

1. having refined or cultured tastes and habits

2. appealing to sophisticates

   a sophisticated restaurant

3. unduly refined or cultured

4. pretentiously or superficially wise

5. (of machines, methods, etc) complex and refined

Other Word Forms

• sophisticatedly adverb
• hypersophisticated adjective
• hypersophisticatedly adverb
• oversophisticated adjective
• supersophisticated adjective
• ultrasophisticated adjective
• ultrasophisticatedly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of sophisticated¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; sophisticate + -ed ²

Example Sentences

In the post he also accused other media outlets or TV programmes of "smearing" him through "a highly sophisticated system of document and visual alteration".

From BBC

The government has previously said Chinese spies were targeting UK officials across the political, defence and business sectors as part of an increasingly sophisticated espionage operation.

From BBC

The handsome face is a digital photograph fabricated through sophisticated forensic techniques currently used by law enforcement to determine things like the appearance of murder victims.

From Los Angeles Times

Her grandmother, who ignited the family’s collector gene, had an array of antique Tiffany lamps and sophisticated coats, and ran a clothing shop of her own.

From Los Angeles Times

"Some of those will be involved in street level dealing and some of those will be higher and more sophisticated in terms of the networks that they use to bring drugs into Northern Ireland."

From BBC

Related Words

• complicated 
• delicate 
• intricate 
• modern 
• refined 
• subtle