sophisticate

[suh-fis-ti-kit, -keyt, suh-fis-ti-keyt]

noun

1. a sophisticated person.

adjective

1. sophisticated.

verb (used with object)

sophisticated, sophisticating 

1. to make less natural, simple, or ingenuous; make worldly-wise.

2. to alter; pervert.

   to sophisticate a meaning beyond recognition.

verb (used without object)

sophisticated, sophisticating 

1. to use sophistry; quibble.

sophisticate

verb

1. (tr) to make (someone) less natural or innocent, as by education

2. to pervert or corrupt (an argument, etc) by sophistry

3. (tr) to make more complex or refined

4. rare,  to falsify (a text, etc) by alterations

noun

1. a sophisticated person

Other Word Forms

• sophisticator noun
• sophistication noun
• outsophisticate verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of sophisticate¹

1350–1400; Middle English (adj. and v.) < Medieval Latin sophisticātus (past participle of sophisticāre to tamper with, disguise, trick with words), equivalent to Latin sophistic ( us ) ( sophistic ) + -ātus -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of sophisticate¹

C14: from Medieval Latin sophisticāre, from Latin sophisticus sophistic

Example Sentences

Reform UK is developing an increasingly sophisticated campaign machine and will have learned from this experience.

Read more on BBC

It is in fact the airframe of a Boeing 737, but inside it's fitted out with sophisticated cameras and sensors and listening devices.

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Anthropic's new release is also touted as the most sophisticated for applications that allow an AI assistant to use a computer as a human would.

Read more on Barron's

The poker games, in particular, had turned into sophisticated operations.

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Then there was also a sophisticated method of communicating and rigging the game, prosecutors allege.

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Related Words

• corrupt 
• degrade 
• pollute