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

Thoughtful restraint seems like a better strategy than rushing into put and call options and stocks when many sophisticated investors have little idea how to price the passing scene.

Read more on Barron's

Thoughtful restraint seems like a better strategy than rushing into put and call options and stocks when many sophisticated investors have little idea how to price the passing scene.

Read more on Barron's

The company’s critics liken the environment to a casino, but its fans credit Robinhood with democratizing the lucrative world of sophisticated investments.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The ESF money stabilized the peso just long enough for sophisticated investors to exit at more favorable prices.

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“There has been a propensity to look at pro coaches and just assume that they must be better, more sophisticated,” said Wake Forest athletic director John Currie, who hired Vitello at Tennessee in 2017.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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