as in cosmopolitan
a person with the outlook, experience, and manners thought to be typical of big city dwellers
sophisticates laughing at people they thought of as hicks
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to complex
to make complex or difficult
there's no need to sophisticate something that is beautiful in its simplicity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to dilute
to alter (something) for the worse with the addition of foreign or lower-grade substances
vanilla extract that has been sophisticated with corn syrup
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sophisticate
Armond White, National Review, 9 July 2025
How things have changed: My interlocutor was one member of a large and diverse constituency of urban sophisticates who espouse comparable positions, not infrequently in the same gratingly defiant terms.
—Ian Volner, Artforum, 28 May 2025
Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 17 Aug. 2025
By popular belief, never proved legally, Lansky sophisticated the Mafia’s crude leadership of the 1920s and 1930s -- showing them the subtleties of financial manipulation, concealment and investment of the proceeds of bootlegging and gambling.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sophisticate
Noun
The Friend is Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s class-conscious lament for how urban sophisticates (Naomi Watts, Bill Murray, and a Great Dane) deny but can’t escape spiritual obligations.
—Verb
Entire ecosystems of expertise had blossomed in academia and government to model the scenarios that might lead to Armageddon, and the resulting game theory, though sophisticated, was relatively straightforward.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for sophisticate
Noun
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Alas, Jewish skeptics of Zionism who preferred to think of themselves as cosmopolitans found no reprieve.—
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The adjective cosmopolitan only begins to describe Sajet, who has had important life experiences on four continents.—
Verb
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Those sums would likely be diluted, given baseball teams carry 26 players and NBA teams carry up to 15, but money is still money.—
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Just be sure to dilute it with a carrier oil like coconut or almond oil before massaging it into sore spots.—
Verb
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Elhawary acknowledged the billionaire tax proposal is a complicating factor in discussions about taxes, which is already a politically fraught issue.—
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Mental advocates pointed to one misunderstood aspect of a serious mental illness, which complicates ideas of patient autonomy and choice.—
Verb
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Keep them in reserve as a sleep sock to ward off icy toes and prevent sweat and skin oils from dirtying your down sleeping bag.—
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Garments can be dirtied again by the elements if air-dried outside.—
Verb
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From looking out for the notification from Delta that my luggage has been loaded on the plane to keeping an eye on FindMy at baggage claim, this portable charger is an indispensable travel essential.—
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The key is to reach for ones that are not loaded up with sugar; enter RX, a clean protein bar made from egg whites, dates, and nuts that pack in 12-18 grams of protein per bar in appealing recipes like chocolate sea salt, peanut butter, coconut chocolate, blueberry, and more.—
Verb
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According to other accounts, some white residents believed Makandal and his allies were behind a plot to poison the water supply in all the houses in the city of Le Cap.—
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In a recent study, however, researchers at Yale found that interoception helped mice avoid poisoning themselves.—
Verb
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Fish populations have thinned; alligators have become scrawny.—
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In 2025, climate change’s impacts were felt throughout the state, from devastating wildfires to a thinning snowpack and declining kelp forests.—
Verb
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Carolina cut the lead 17-14 at halftime after a 1-yard touchdown run by Hubbard and a 16-yard scramble by Young, the second-longest TD run of his career.—
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This same staff cut him to make room for a waiver-wire claim before the start of the 2024 season.—
Cite this Entry
“Sophisticate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sophisticate. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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