- past tense form of sophisticate.
- past participle of sophisticate.
sophisticated
Americanadjective
-
(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
-
pleasing or satisfactory to the tastes of sophisticates, or people who are educated, cultured, and worldly-wise.
sophisticated music.
-
deceptive; misleading.
-
complex or intricate, as a system, process, piece of machinery, or the like.
a sophisticated electronic control system.
-
of, for, or reflecting educated taste, knowledgeable use, etc..
Many Americans are drinking more sophisticated wines now.
adjective
-
having refined or cultured tastes and habits
-
appealing to sophisticates
a sophisticated restaurant
-
unduly refined or cultured
-
pretentiously or superficially wise
-
(of machines, methods, etc) complex and refined
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sophisticated
First recorded in 1595–1605; sophisticate + -ed 2
Explanation
If something is sophisticated, it's complicated and intricate. The inner workings of a computer are sophisticated. Sophisticated can also refer to having good taste. Either way, sophisticated things are impressive. Sophisticated systems and objects are complex and tough to understand. High school math is a lot more sophisticated than grammar school math. Driving a car is more sophisticated than riding a bike. People are sophisticated if they have plenty of worldly experience and what is generally regarded as "good taste." Sometimes, that just means they have a lot of money and like things that are fancy. Going to a symphony is considered more sophisticated than going to a rock concert.
Vocabulary lists containing sophisticated
The Outsiders
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The Great Gatsby
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List 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When infected mosquitoes are found, workers treat the area where they were collected with adulticide and conduct “source reduction,” a sophisticated way of describing what usually amounts to emptying containers of standing water.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
“Down a long gated driveway on a secluded and beautifully landscaped flag lot, this exceptional Bridgehampton South residence offers sophisticated luxury living in one of the Hamptons’ most coveted locations,” it states.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
Teams of contractors now scour the internet using sophisticated surveillance tools to find commentary that the agency regards as potentially dangerous.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Giving it greater plasticity could make it easier to manufacture and allow engineers to create more sophisticated structures for engines and other high-performance systems.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026
But there is one thing archaeologists, scientists, historians, and even casual observers agree on: the astonishing gearwork is far more technologically sophisticated than anyone had expected from an artifact of this time.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
