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

The work suggests that sophisticated coordination might not require sophisticated machines.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

As for duration risk: If Circle reaches Fed infrastructure scale and doesn’t have sophisticated risk management, it deserves what happens.

Read more on MarketWatch

There’s a paradox at the heart of modern AI: The kinds of sophisticated models that companies are using to get real work done and reduce head count aren’t the ones getting all the attention.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“Just as Korea’s physical factories have inspired the world with sophisticated ships, cars, chips and electronics, the nation can now produce intelligence as a new export that will drive global transformation.”

Read more on Barron's

North Carolina Democrats gained seats in Congress that year, but Newby’s candidates ran sophisticated, well-financed campaigns and crushed their Democratic opponents.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

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