sophisticated

adjective so·phis·ti·cat·ed \sə-ˈfis-tə-ˌkā-təd\

: having or showing a lot of experience and knowledge about the world and about culture, art, literature, etc.

: attractive to fashionable or sophisticated people

: highly developed and complex

Full Definition of SOPHISTICATED

: deprived of native or original simplicity: as

a : highly complicated or developed : complex <sophisticated electronic devices>

b : having a refined knowledge of the ways of the world cultivated especially through wide experience <a sophisticated lady>

: devoid of grossness: as

a : finely experienced and aware <a sophisticated columnist>

b : intellectually appealing <a sophisticated novel>

— so·phis·ti·cat·ed·ly adverb

See sophisticated defined for English-language learners

See sophisticated defined for kids

Examples of SOPHISTICATED

Puck's mix of casual and sophisticated elements has become the most prevalent style of L.A. dining today. —Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator, 31 Mar. 2009
Sophisticated investors took Moody's and S&P's word for it, and it turned out that the agencies didn't know what they were doing. —Andy Serwer et al., Time, 29 Sept. 2008
“These students want the amenities they grew up with at home—their own rooms, their own baths, along with some of the finer things in life. They're a more sophisticated consumer.” —Camille Sweeney, New York Times Real Estate Magazine, Spring 2007
Sonar devices can locate an enemy's sophisticated, almost-silent diesel submarines by, ironically, making a deafening noise—sometimes above 230 decibels, as loud as a Saturn V rocket blasting off. —Dick Russell, Mother Jones, March & April 2006
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Origin of SOPHISTICATED

Medieval Latin sophisticatus

First Known Use: 1601

Related to SOPHISTICATED

Synonyms: cosmopolitan, smart, worldly–wise, worldly

Antonyms: guileless, ingenuous, innocent, naive (or naïve), unsophisticated, untutored, unworldly, wide-eyed

Synonym Discussion of SOPHISTICATED

sophisticated, worldly-wise, blasé mean experienced in the ways of the world. sophisticated often implies refinement, urbanity, cleverness, and cultivation <guests at her salon were usually rich and sophisticated>. worldly-wise suggests a close and practical knowledge of the affairs and manners of society and an inclination toward materialism <a worldly-wise woman with a philosophy of personal independence>. blasé implies a lack of responsiveness to common joys as a result of a real or affected surfeit of experience and cultivation <blasé travelers who claimed to have been everywhere>.