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 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

Armani took away the restrictions and confinements of stiffer styles that went before him - making men feel sophisticated and women empowered in the workplace.

From BBC

Some analysts argue they are also not as sophisticated as the American ones, which have a technological head start going back to the the Cold War.

From BBC

Related Words

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