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Synonyms

unsophisticated

American  
[uhn-suh-fis-ti-key-tid] / ˌʌn səˈfɪs tɪˌkeɪ tɪd /

adjective

  1. not sophisticated; simple; artless.

    Synonyms:
    inexperienced, naive, ingenuous
  2. without complexity or refinements.

    a relatively unsophisticated mechanism.

  3. unadulterated; pure; genuine.


unsophisticated British  
/ ˌʌnsəˈfɪstɪˌkeɪtɪd /

adjective

  1. lacking experience or worldly wisdom

  2. marked by a lack of refinement or complexity

    an unsophisticated machine

  3. unadulterated or genuine

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of unsophisticated

First recorded in 1620–30; un- 1 + sophisticated

Vocabulary lists containing unsophisticated

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.

See Examples For:

Getting such a charter would give huge latitude to crypto banks, endangering unsophisticated investors, critics say.

From Slate Jul. 22, 2026

I think the last 10 years of the American experience has shown that the American public is quite unsophisticated in large parts of it.

From Salon Jun. 15, 2026

He added that “unfortunately, many unsophisticated investors will be left holding the bag in the end.”

From MarketWatch May 13, 2026

They found that the gains on prediction markets go almost entirely to sophisticated traders, while long-shot bets and unsophisticated traders take losses.

From The Wall Street Journal May 4, 2026

I had come to the army as an escape from my life—as many men did, I suppose—and though I’d had a complex and rougher childhood than most, I was still virtually unsophisticated.

From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen

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