adj.
Pronunciation: -t ə - ˌ k ā -t ə d
Function: adjective
Etymology: Medieval Latin sophisticat us
Date: 1601
1 : 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>
2 : 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
synonyms 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>.