unsophisticated

[ uhn-suh-fis-ti-key-tid ]

adjective

1. not sophisticated; sophisticated; simple; artless.

   Synonyms: inexperienced, naive, ingenuous

2. without complexity or refinements:

   a relatively unsophisticated mechanism.

3. unadulterated; pure; genuine.

unsophisticated

/ ˌʌnsəˈfɪstɪˌkeɪtɪd /

adjective

1. lacking experience or worldly wisdom
2. marked by a lack of refinement or complexity

   an unsophisticated machine

3. unadulterated or genuine

Derived Forms

• ˌunsoˈphistiˌcatedness, noun
• ˌunsoˈphistiˌcatedly, adverb

Other Words From

• unso·phisti·cated·ly adverb
• unso·phisti·cated·ness unso·phisti·cation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unsophisticated¹

First recorded in 1620–30; un- ¹ + sophisticated

Example Sentences

This is because the American people are politically unsophisticated and are easily manipulated to believe things that are not true.

From Salon

The American public is politically unsophisticated, which means that many people are easily moved by emotional appeals and scary-sounding words — at least to them — such as “communism” and “socialism.”

From Salon

The New York Times, which had vigorously supported the Iraq invasion published four op-eds defending Strauss, polemics that employed ridicule and condescension against the unsophisticated critics who supposedly didn’t “get” the philosopher’s subtle arguments.

From Salon

Van Buren, meanwhile, aimed to portray Harrison, a Virginian, as an unsophisticated “country squire” who lived in a log cabin and drank hard cider, Kraig said.

From Los Angeles Times

The only person getting this answer: Our job is not to judge, look down our nose, talk about “unsophisticated” and how — that’s such baloney.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• guileless
• inexperienced
• naive
• straightforward
• uninvolved