sophisticate

English

Etymology

attested about 1400 in the sense "make impure by admixture", from Medieval Latin sophisticatus, past participle of sophisticare (see sophistication). From about 1600 as "corrupt, delude by sophistry"; from 1796 as "deprive of simplicity". Related: sophisticated, sophisticating. As a noun meaning "sophisticated person" from 1921.

Pronunciation

• Noun and adjective:
  • IPA^(key): [səˈfɪstɪkət]
• Verb:
  • IPA^(key): [səˈfɪstɪkeɪt]

Noun

sophisticate (plural sophisticates)

1. A worldly-wise person.
   • (Can we date this quote by SpongeBob SquarePants and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?), episode Sailor Mouth

     Patrick: Because classy sophisticates like us should not stain our lips with cursing.

     SpongeBob: Yea verily!

Verb

1. (transitive) To make less natural or innocent.
   • 1956–1960, R.S. Peters, The Concept of Motivation, Routledge & Kegan Paul (second edition, 1960), chapter ii: “Motives and Motivation”, page 38:

     Psychologists have developed quasi-causal theories to explain the directedness of behaviour, to answer the question ‘Why are certain sorts of reasons operative?’ and these theories may well have insinuated themselves into ordinary language as part of the meaning of “motive”. It might well be, therefore, that people who are slightly sophisticated by psychological theories assume some such necessary connexion [between giving the motive for an action and making any assertions of a causal kind about a man’s emotional state].

2. To practice sophistry; change the meaning of, or be vague about in order to mislead or deceive.
   • (Can we date this quote by Southey and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     to sophisticate the understanding

   • (Can we date this quote by Matthew Arnold and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Yet Butler professes to stick to plain facts, not to sophisticate, not to refine.

3. (transitive) To alter and make impure, as with the intention to deceive.
   • (Can we date this quote by Howell and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     to sophisticate wine

   • (Can we date this quote by Dryden and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     They purchase but sophisticated ware.

4. (transitive) To make more complex or refined.

Translations

to make less natural or innocent

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

to practice sophistry

• Portuguese: sofismar
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

to alter and make impure

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

to make more complex or refined

• Portuguese: sofisticar (pt)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Adjective

sophisticate (comparative more sophisticate, superlative most sophisticate)

1. Adulterated; not pure; not genuine.
   • (Can we date this quote by Dryden and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     So truth, while only one supplied the state, / Grew scarce and dear, and yet sophisticate.