sophistication

[ suh-fis-ti-key-shuhn ]

/ səˌfɪs tɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

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See synonyms for sophistication on Thesaurus.com

noun

sophisticated character, ideas, tastes, or ways as the result of education, worldly experience, etc.: the sophistication of the wealthy.

change from the natural character or simplicity, or the resulting condition.

complexity, as in design or organization.

impairment or debasement, as of purity or genuineness.

the use of sophistry; a sophism, quibble, or fallacious argument.

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Origin of sophistication

1350–1400; Middle English <Medieval Latin sophisticātiōn- (stem of sophisticātiō), equivalent to sophisticāt(us) (see sophisticate) + -iōn--ion

OTHER WORDS FROM sophistication

an·ti·so·phis·ti·ca·tion, nounhy·per·so·phis·ti·ca·tion, nouno·ver·so·phis·ti·ca·tion, nounself-so·phis·ti·ca·tion, noun

Words nearby sophistication

sophist, sophister, sophistic, sophisticate, sophisticated, sophistication, sophistry, sophists, Sophocles, sophomore, sophomoric

How to use sophistication in a sentence

Compared to 2016, Russia’s online interference strategies have grown in sophistication, says Dov Levin, assistant professor of international relations at the University of Hong Kong.
Spy Wars: The Hidden Foe America Must Defeat to Save Its Democracy|Charu Kasturi|September 13, 2020|Ozy
The Lazarus laundering operation, says Janczewski, involves creating and maintaining hundreds of false accounts and identities, a consistent level of sophistication and effort that underlines just how important the operation is for Pyongyang.
North Korean hackers steal billions in cryptocurrency. How do they turn it into real cash?|Patrick O'Neill|September 10, 2020|MIT Technology Review
In the end there will likely be four or perhaps five relatively large providers that can offer competing levels of technological sophistication and reach.
InMarket buys NinthDecimal to compete with Foursquare more effectively|Greg Sterling|September 9, 2020|Search Engine Land
Some retailers are media owners in their own right and so there are different levels of sophistication around commerce activations.
‘Retailers are media owners in their own right’: Why e-commerce is driving more of Unilever’s media spend|Seb Joseph|September 9, 2020|Digiday

Conservatives scoring highest on tests for cognitive sophistication or quantitative reasoning skills are most susceptible to motivated reasoning about climate science.
Coronavirus Responses Highlight How Humans Are Hardwired To Dismiss Facts That Don’t Fit Their Worldview|LGBTQ-Editor|July 2, 2020|No Straight News
Lacey Noonan's A Gronking to Remember makes 50 Shades of Grey look like Madame Bovary in terms of its literary sophistication.
‘A Gronking to Remember’ Speed Read: 8 Naughtiest Bits|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
So, the display—which has the aesthetic sophistication of a middle school science project—will go up for week.
In Florida, ’Tis The Season for Satan|Jay Michaelson|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His dresses were worn by Hollywood stars and first ladies, emanating glamour and sophistication.
Fashion Designer Oscar de la Renta, American Great, Dead at 82|Tim Teeman|October 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This Palmer stands for elegance and sophistication: the embodiment of natural gifts, both athletic and personal.
Will the Real Jim Palmer Please Stand Up|Tom Boswell|September 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Anyone who thinks otherwise, to employ the emotional sophistication of “Shake It Off,” can suck it.
Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake It Off’ Is Disappointing|Kevin Fallon|August 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She chattered with the childish artlessness that at times veiled her sophistication.
The Highgrader|William MacLeod Raine
Their being very much cheaper accounts for the sophistication.
Detection of the Common Food Adulterants|Edwin M. Bruce
Sophistication has often been resorted to in order ostensibly to improve damaged or cheap coffee.
All About Coffee|William H. Ukers
It is the ideal of being natural, of being primitive, dismissing "refinements" and the tricks of literary sophistication.
Colors of Life|Max Eastman
Glahn and Edvarda are both essentially and deeply primitive though afflicted with a blight of sophistication.
Knut Hamsun|Hanna Astrup Larsen