Synonyms

sophistication

American

[suh-fis-ti-key-shuhn] / səˌfɪs tɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

sophisticated sophisticated character, ideas, tastes, or ways as the result of education, worldly experience, etc..

the sophistication of the wealthy.
change from the natural character or simplicity, or the resulting condition.
complexity, as in design or organization.
impairment or debasement, as of purity or genuineness.
the use of sophistry; a sophism, quibble, or fallacious argument.

Other Word Forms

antisophistication noun
hypersophistication noun
oversophistication noun
self-sophistication noun

Etymology

Origin of sophistication

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Medieval Latin sophisticātiōn-, stem of sophisticātiō; equivalent to sophisticate + -ion

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

They comment with equal sophistication on ballet steps, choreography, history, musicology and the minute details of costume design.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

Experts say this kind of operation on a senior US government official may not take much sophistication to achieve.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

And seniors who didn’t have the means or the sophistication to purchase supplemental insurance could be hit with enormous bills for their medical care, especially if they had a prolonged illness.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 10, 2026

"It didn't stand a chance. The incident confirms the sophistication of the means of American undersea warfare."

From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026

I’d need all the sophistication I could muster to make us believable when we attempted to cross the bridge.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023