sophisticate
Syllables: so·phis·tic·ate/səˈfɪstɪkeɪt/
sophisticate verb: to make (something) less innocent or natural; to artificialize.
Verb
sophisticate (third-person singular simple present sophisticates, present participle sophisticating, simple past and past participle sophisticated)
- To make (something) less innocent or natural; to artificialize.
- The party to which Mrs. Berlinton was the loadſtone, was far more attractive to the diſciples of nature, though leſs ſedulouſly ſought by thoſe whom the manners and maxims of the common world had ſophiſticated.1796, [Frances Burney], “The Rooms”, in Camilla: Or, A Picture of Youth. […], volume III, London: […] T[homas] Payne, […]; and T[homas] Cadell Jun. and W[illiam] Davies (successors to Mr. [Thomas]...
- [T]hey were not the spoiled children of affectation and refinement, but a bold, vigorous, independent race of thinkers, with prodigious strength and energy, with none but natural grace, and heartfelt unobtrusive delicacy. They were not at all sophisticated.1820, William Hazlitt, “Lecture I. Introductory.”, in Lectures Chiefly on the Dramatic Literature of the Age of Elizabeth. […], London: Stodart and Steuart, […]; Edinburgh: Bell and Bradfute, →OCLC...
- Synonyms:
- denaturalize, denature
- To make (something) more sophisticated (“complex, developed, or refined”); to develop, to refine.
- To make (oneself or someone) more sophisticated (“experienced in the ways of the world, that is, cosmopolitan or worldly-wise”); to cosmopolitanize.
- Synonyms:
- broaden someone's horizons, deparochialize
- To alter and make impure (something) by mixing it with some foreign or inferior substance, especially with an intention to deceive; to adulterate; (generally) to corrupt or deceive (someone, their thinking, etc.).
- How be it, it were harde to construe this lecture;
Sophisticatid craftely is many a confecture; […]1523, John Skelton, “A Ryght Delectable Tratyse vpon a Goodly Garlande or Chapelet of Laurell, […]”, in Alexander Dyce, editor, The Poetical Works of John Skelton: […], volume I, London: Thomas Rodd... - For there are diuers motiues, drawing men to fauour mightily thoſe opinions wherein their perſwaſions are but weakely ſetled: and if the paſſions of the minde be ſtrong, they eaſily ſophiſticate the vnderſtanding, they make it apt to beeleeue vpon very ſclender warrant and to imagine infallible...[1594], Richard Hooker, “To the Most Reverend Father in God My Very Good Lord, the Lord Archbishop of Canterburie His Grace [John Whitgift], Primate and Metropolitane of All England”, in J[ohn]...
- Synonyms:
- abase, bastardize, dash, seduce, subvert, adulter, adulterate, adulterize, alloy, balderdash
- How be it, it were harde to construe this lecture;
- To change the meaning of (something) in a deceptive or misleading way.
- The heavy hand of the high Thunderer
Shall light on thee; and thou I doubt ſhalt be
His Furies object, and ſhalt teſtifie
By thine infamous lifes accurſed ſtate,
VVhat now thy ſhame-leſs lips ſophiſticate.1608, [Guillaume de Salluste] Du Bartas, “[Du Bartas His Second Weeke, […]. Noah. […].] The Arke. The I. Part of the II. Day of the II. Week.”, in Josuah Sylvester, transl., Du Bartas His Deuine... - His character and doctrines have received still greater injury from those who pretend to be his special disciples, and who have disfigured and sophisticated his actions and precepts from views of personal interest, so as to induce the unthinking part of mankind to throw off the whole system in...1803 April 9, Thomas Jefferson, “John Adams to Thomas Jefferson. Quincy, July 16, 1813 [quoting Jefferson’s letter to Dr. Joseph Priestley]”, in The Writings of Thomas Jefferson; […], volume VI, New...
- The heavy hand of the high Thunderer
- To apply an artificial technique to (something).
- [T]hey ſit in ſome ſun-ſhining place in a chamber or ſome other ſecret roome, where hauing a looking-glaſſe before them they ſophiſticate and dye their haire with the foreſaid drugs, […]1611, Thomas Coryate [i.e., Thomas Coryat], “My Obseruations of the Most Glorious, Peerelesse, and Mayden Citie of Venice: […]”, in Coryats Crudities Hastily Gobled Vp in Five Moneths Trauells […]...
- To practise sophistry (“the (deliberate) making of arguments that seem plausible but are fallacious or misleading”).
- The benevolence of her heart taught her, in this inſtance, to ſophiſticate.1791, [Ann Radcliffe], chapter X, in The Romance of the Forest: […], volume II, London: […] T[homas] Hookham and J. Carpenter, […], →OCLC, page 103
- Yet [Joseph] Butler professes to stick to plain facts, not to sophisticate, not to refine.1876 March, Matthew Arnold, “Bishop Butler and the Zeit-Geist. II.”, in The Contemporary Review, volume XXVII, London: Strahan & Co. […], →ISSN, →OCLC, page 574
Adjective
sophisticate (comparative more sophisticate, superlative most sophisticate)
- Of a person: experienced in the ways of the world; cosmopolitan, worldly-wise.
- Of art or other things: appealing to the tastes of an intellectual or sophisticated (sense 1.1) person; cerebral; also, cultured, elegant, refined.
- Mixed with a foreign or inferior substance; not genuine or pure; adulterated, impure.
- So truth, while only one ſupply'd the ſtate,
Grew ſcarce, and dear, and yet ſophiſticate.c. 1663, John Dryden, “Epistle the Second. To My Honored Friend Dr. [Walter] Charleton, on His Learned and Useful Works; but More Particularly His Treatise of Stone-henge, by Him Restor’d to the True...
- So truth, while only one ſupply'd the ſtate,
- Of a thing: having its meaning changed in a deceptive or misleading way.
Noun
sophisticate (plural sophisticates)
- A person who is sophisticated (“experienced in the ways of the world, that is, cosmopolitan or worldly-wise”), or who has sophisticated tastes.
- […] the soporific details of Porter's socially correct marriage of convenience to wealthy and somewhat enigmatic Linda, "a professional beauty." They evidently shared a taste for high social status and the elegant luxuries, high life and freedoms afforded by wealth. Linda and Cole are portrayed as...1991 December 1, Rudy Grillo, “Who's The Top?”, in Gay Community News, volume 19, number 20, page 8
- Patrick Star: Because classy sophisticates like us should not stain our lips with cursing.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Yea verily!2001 September 21, Walt Dohrn, Paul Tibbitt, Merriwether Williams, “Sailor Mouth”, in SpongeBob SquarePants, season 2, episode 18a
sophisticate meaning in Tamil, Bengali and Kannada
sophisticate in Tamil
- போலிவாதப்படுத்து
sophisticate in Bengali
- অভিজাত, মার্জিত রুচিসম্পন্ন ব্যক্তি
sophisticate in Kannada
- ಕೃತಕವಾಗಿಸು, ಸರಳತೆಯನ್ನು ಹಾಳು ಮಾಡು, ಕೂಟತರ್ಕದಿಂದ ಮೋಸಗೊಳಿಸು, ಕುತರ್ಕದಲ್ಲಿ ತೊಡಗಿಸು
Examples of sophisticate in a sentence
- She was no scion of the English houses of Brown, Jones, or Robinson, born and bred in a London back slum, and christened plain Sarah or Mary, to be sophisticated later into Celestine or Mariette.[1879], [Mary Elizabeth Braddon], “La Chicot”, in The Cloven Foot […], volume I, London: John and Robert Maxwell […], →OCLC, page 71:
- It is the manner of the vvorld, and ſo it is of the Prince of the vvorld, to ſophiſticate ever the beſt things vvith hypocriſie, vvith ſuperſtition, vvith a thouſand deviſes more.1621 February 23 (date delivered; Gregorian calendar), Lancelot Andrewes, “[Sermons Preached vpon Ash-Wednesday.] A Sermon Preached before...
- His professional library is neither filled with extravagant and impious fictions, […] nor of books of casuistry, which sophisticate the understanding and defile the heart; […]1829, Robert Southey, “Colloquy XI. Infidelity.—Church Establishment.”, in Sir Thomas More: or, Colloquies on the Progress and Prospects of...
- Linda and Cole are portrayed as the ultimate sophisticates but the viewer is never told the cause for their separation or why they married.1991 December 1, Rudy Grillo, “Who's The Top?”, in Gay Community News, volume 19, number 20, page 8:
Synonyms of sophisticate
- denaturalize
- denature
- complicate
- enhance
- hone
- improve
- optimize
- perfect
- polish
- broaden someone's horizons
30 more synonymsFewer synonyms
Forms of sophisticate
| Verb | |
|---|---|
| third-person singular present | sophisticates |
| present participle | sophisticating |
| past participle | sophisticated |
| past | sophisticated |
| Adjective | |
| comparative | more sophisticate |
| superlative | most sophisticate |
| Noun | |
| plural | sophisticates |
Origin of sophisticate
From Middle English sophisticaten (“to mix (something) with a foreign or inferior substance, adulterate”), from Medieval Latin sophisticātus, the perfect passive participle of sophisticāre (“to disguise; to tamper with; to trick using words”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more). Sophisticāre is derived from Latin sophisticus (“pertaining to the ancient Sophists, sophistic; pertaining to sophistry, sophistic, sophistical”) (from Ancient Greek σοφιστικός (sophistikós), from σοφιστής (sophistḗs, “master of a craft; prudent or wise person; philosopher; teacher, tutor; (derogatory) one who profits from false wisdom, cheat, swindler”), from σοφός (sophós, “able, skilful; clever, intelligent, prudent, wise; cunning”), further etymology unknown) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix). Cognates * French sophistiquer * Italian sofisticare * Spanish sofisticar
From Middle English sophisticat, sophisticate (“adulterated; not genuine, counterfeit”), an adjective use of the past participle of sophisticaten (verb) See Etymology 1 and -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more.
From a substantivation of the above adjective or back-formation of the verb, either on the basis of -ate (noun-forming suffix).
Words formed from sophisticate
Questions about sophisticate
- What does sophisticate mean?
- Sophisticate means to make (something) less innocent or natural; to artificialize.
- What is sophisticate in Tamil?
- Sophisticate in Tamil is போலிவாதப்படுத்து. See Sophisticate meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use sophisticate in a sentence?
- She was no scion of the English houses of Brown, Jones, or Robinson, born and bred in a London back slum, and christened plain Sarah or Mary, to be sophisticated later into Celestine or Mariette.
- What part of speech is sophisticate?
- Sophisticate can be a verb, an adjective or a noun.
- How do you pronounce sophisticate?
- Sophisticate is pronounced /səˈfɪstɪkeɪt/ (UK).
- What is the past tense of sophisticate?
- The past tense of sophisticate is sophisticated.
Words near sophisticate in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: sophisticate (page history and authors); sophisticate (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); sophisticate (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); sophisticate (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-sophisticate-verb.wav, LL-Q1860 (eng)-Qwertygiy-sophisticate.wav.
Cite this entry: “sophisticate.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sophisticate. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.