sophisticate
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so·phis·ti·cate
(sə-fĭs′tĭ-kāt′)v. so·phis·ti·cat·ed, so·phis·ti·cat·ing, so·phis·ti·cates
v.tr.
1. To cause to become less natural, especially to make less naive and more worldly: Travel tends to sophisticate a person.
2. To make more complex or refined: sophisticated the theory to take criticism into account.
3. Archaic
a. To mislead or corrupt (a person).
b. To make impure; adulterate.
v.intr. Archaic
To use sophistry.
n. (-kĭt)
A sophisticated person.
[Middle English sophisticaten, to adulterate, from Medieval Latin sophisticāre, sophisticāt-, from Latin sophisticus, sophistic, from Greek sophistikos, from sophistēs, sophist; see sophist.]
so·phis′ti·ca′tion n.
so·phis′ti·ca′tor n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
sophisticate
vb
1. (tr) to make (someone) less natural or innocent, as by education
2. to pervert or corrupt (an argument, etc) by sophistry
3. (tr) to make more complex or refined
4. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) rare to falsify (a text, etc) by alterations
n
a sophisticated person
[C14: from Medieval Latin sophisticāre, from Latin sophisticus sophistic]
soˌphistiˈcation n
soˈphistiˌcator n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
so•phis•ti•cate
(n., səˈfɪs tɪ kɪt, -ˌkeɪt; v. -ˌkeɪt)n., v. -cat•ed, -cat•ing. n.
1. a sophisticated person.
v.t. 2. to make less natural, simple, or ingenuous; make worldly-wise.
3. to alter; pervert: to sophisticate a meaning beyond recognition.
[1350–1400; Middle English (adj. and v.) < Medieval Latin sophisticātus, past participle of sophisticāre to trick with words]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
sophisticate
Past participle: sophisticated
Gerund: sophisticating
Imperative |
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sophisticate |
sophisticate |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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Noun | 1. | ![]() cosmopolitan, cosmopolite - a sophisticated person who has travelled in many countries slicker - a person with good manners and stylish clothing |
Verb | 1. | sophisticate - make less natural or innocent; "Their manners had sophisticated the young girls" |
2. | ![]() | |
3. | sophisticate - alter and make impure, as with the intention to deceive; "Sophisticate rose water with geraniol" adulterate, dilute, debase, load, stretch - corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones; "adulterate liquor" | |
4. | sophisticate - make more complex or refined; "a sophisticated design" rarify, refine, complicate, elaborate - make more complex, intricate, or richer; "refine a design or pattern" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
sophisticate
verbTo make impure or inferior by deceptively adding foreign substances:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
sophisticate
n the sophisticates who haunt the fashionable restaurants → die Schickeria, die sich in den richtigen Restaurants zeigt
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007