How to Use sophisticate in a Sentence
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As for the clothes, the look is a touch ’80s sophisticate through the Chanel lens.
—Alison S. Cohn, Harper's BAZAAR, 10 Jan. 2022
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In terms of hair, Turner opted to wear it down in loose waves with a middle part — simple, sweet, and sophisticated all at once.
—Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, 5 July 2019
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In these books, French women are boiled down to one reductive stereotype: the thin, white, rich Parisian sophisticate in a striped shirt, trench coat and Hermès scarf.
—Rory Satran, WSJ, 27 Nov. 2021
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Sophisticated US leadership is the sine qua non of a stable world order.
—Laurie Kellman, The Seattle Times, 26 May 2017
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Both sides, after all, rely on these tools, and there is an argument to be made that Democrats need them in order to close the gap with Mr. Trump’s sophisticated digital operation.
—Kevin Roose, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2020
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But in fact, sophisticated, back-and-forth conversations are happening all around us.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Smithsonian, 20 June 2018
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Insurers have, until recently, simply not had access to the right data, or to models sophisticated enough to gauge flood risk properly.
—The Economist, 7 Sep. 2017
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The president would trumpet his plan to grow military spending aboard the Navy’s sophisticated new aircraft carrier.
—Ashley Parker, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2017
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The process can be a financially and administratively painful one, but the IRS is supposed to have sophisticated computer systems that can process millions of last-minute filers.
—The Washington Post, NOLA.com, 17 Apr. 2018
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That’s after owner and chef Laurie Williamson’s sophisticated five-course dinner, which changes weekly and is only offered Friday and Saturday.
—Celestina Blok, star-telegram, 12 May 2017
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Intensive care units have sophisticated equipment, such as bedside machines to monitor a patient’s heart rate and ventilators to help them breathe.
—USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2020
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While Cooper is typically sophisticated in his anti-Trump rhetoric, Cuomo attacks the president with more zeal.
—Brian Flood, Fox News, 14 Mar. 2018
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Alessandro Michele’s rebrand had infused the company with flamboyance, joie de vivre, whimsy and sass, but looking at some outfits suggested Ed Hardy’s sophisticated older cousin, Édouard.
—Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2017
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Which is to the benefit of anyone who values music at once sophisticated in content but accessible in musical gesture.
—Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, 12 July 2018
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The selections that most closely matched Barnhart’s sophisticated aesthetic worked best.
—Bill Brownlee, kansascity, 11 June 2017
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Neither do sophisticated, authenticity-craving Parisians who choose Arles for their southern pied-à-terre.
—Stephen Heyman, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 May 2018
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The technology from [blockchain analytics] firms such as Elliptic and Chainanalysis is sophisticated as well.
—Matthew De Silva, Quartz, 5 Dec. 2019
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What’s more, experts say that if every vehicle on the road had sophisticated autonomous vehicle technology on board, highway officials could make lanes narrower and pack more cars on the road without expensive lane expansion projects.
—Marco Della Cava, Detroit Free Press, 25 June 2017
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Purdue and the family’s sophisticated, multibillion-dollar investment operations have been under increasing scrutiny as lawsuits mount.
—Jared S. Hopkins, WSJ, 30 June 2019
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As for the clothes, the look is a touch ’80s sophisticate through the Chanel lens.
—Alison S. Cohn, Harper's BAZAAR, 10 Jan. 2022
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In terms of hair, Turner opted to wear it down in loose waves with a middle part — simple, sweet, and sophisticated all at once.
—Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, 5 July 2019
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In these books, French women are boiled down to one reductive stereotype: the thin, white, rich Parisian sophisticate in a striped shirt, trench coat and Hermès scarf.
—Rory Satran, WSJ, 27 Nov. 2021
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Sophisticated US leadership is the sine qua non of a stable world order.
—Laurie Kellman, The Seattle Times, 26 May 2017
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Both sides, after all, rely on these tools, and there is an argument to be made that Democrats need them in order to close the gap with Mr. Trump’s sophisticated digital operation.
—Kevin Roose, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2020
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But in fact, sophisticated, back-and-forth conversations are happening all around us.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Smithsonian, 20 June 2018
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Insurers have, until recently, simply not had access to the right data, or to models sophisticated enough to gauge flood risk properly.
—The Economist, 7 Sep. 2017
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The president would trumpet his plan to grow military spending aboard the Navy’s sophisticated new aircraft carrier.
—Ashley Parker, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2017
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The process can be a financially and administratively painful one, but the IRS is supposed to have sophisticated computer systems that can process millions of last-minute filers.
—The Washington Post, NOLA.com, 17 Apr. 2018
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That’s after owner and chef Laurie Williamson’s sophisticated five-course dinner, which changes weekly and is only offered Friday and Saturday.
—Celestina Blok, star-telegram, 12 May 2017
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Intensive care units have sophisticated equipment, such as bedside machines to monitor a patient’s heart rate and ventilators to help them breathe.
—USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2020
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Whether your style is timeless sophisticate or the latest TikTok-core, there’s a great pair of knee-high boots for you.
—Nicola Fumo, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Oct. 2022
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A decade ago, Moscow sophisticates wouldn’t be caught dead trying to order samogon in a bar.
—Washington Post, 26 June 2019
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On-road, the Compass is not an off-road warrior like the Wrangler, nor an urbane sophisticate like the Grand Cherokee.
—cleveland, 2 May 2020
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Some sophisticates, in New York and Hollywood smart sets, took these artists’ works in stride as populist chic.
—Steven Strogatz, The New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2018
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Outside the cities, people feel as if they are sneered at by greedy, self-serving urban sophisticates.
—The Economist, 4 July 2019
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And in this town of rabid sushi sophisticates, crowning Sabuku Sushi San Diego’s best would be a foolish proposition.
—Michele Parente, sandiegouniontribune.com, 24 Aug. 2017
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Gomez was every inch the sophisticate during her appearance, pairing a black skirt and black cardigan with bright red lips.
—Elizabeth Loga, Glamour, 8 Sep. 2021
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At the time, the store represented everything to which a young sophisticate could aspire.
—Christina Binkley, WSJ, 26 Mar. 2018
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Sydney There’s nothing like a shock election result to force media sophisticates to eat their words.
—Tom Switzer, WSJ, 19 May 2019
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Her persona on-screen was that of a glossy, almost mannequin-like sophisticate, a swan-necked beauty with high cheekbones who yearns, cuckolds and destroys with not so much as a Gallic shrug.
—Adam Bernstein, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2018
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Yeun plays Ben, the sophisticate who dates Hae-mi and accepts Jong-su as a compatriot and confident.
—Tasha Robinson, The Verge, 4 Nov. 2018
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When the sophisticate’s string of pearls is mysteriously stolen en route, the mood goes from civilized sitting to human bondage in a matter of seconds.
—Joe Hsieh, The New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2022
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Neither strivers nor sophisticates, these chronically broke 20-somethings dropped out of high school the minute they were legally permitted to do so.
—Judy Berman, Time, 9 July 2019
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Amy Irving stars as Izzy, a downtown woman who’s moved uptown and fancies herself a sophisticate.
—New York Times, 13 Feb. 2020
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Quiroz is the urban sophisticate, bright and articulate, with a round laughing face and connections with the best restaurants in Mexico City.
—Junot Díaz, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2018
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This exuberant magnum opus made a big splash when it was published in 1996 and became required reading for young, brainy sophisticates.
—Brandon Griggs, CNN, 10 May 2020
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Put another way, come 2217, some things taken for granted now will make savages of today’s sophisticates.
—Deroy Murdock, National Review, 30 Aug. 2017
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The buzzy vibe at Primrose, a recent addition, skews more urban sophisticate than traditional ski town, with top-notch service to match.
—Cindy Hirschfeld, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2023
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With Kreis offstage, setting this music to the entwinings of bored sophisticates doesn’t make much emotional impact.
—Lawrence Toppman, charlotteobserver, 19 Oct. 2017
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As a result, many grape varieties do well in eastern Washington, although none has seized the crown, and one—riesling—has an image problem thanks to a phobia of sweetness among would-be sophisticates.
—Jay McInerney, Town & Country, 24 Oct. 2017
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But early on, the transplanted Frenchman was more showman than sophisticate.
—Sarah L. Kaufman, Washington Post, 5 May 2020
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Meanwhile, the investors in Shkreli’s funds were sophisticates with money to burn, Brafman suggested.
—Stephanie Clifford, The Seattle Times, 29 June 2017
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One is about well-to-do Manhattan sophisticates, the other focuses on a blue-collar family trying to make ends meet in flyover country.
—Kristi Turnquist, OregonLive.com, 17 May 2018
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The government’s apologists have been deriding them as out-of-touch sophisticates.
—The Economist, 15 June 2019
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Meanwhile, the investors in Mr. Shkreli’s funds were sophisticates with money to burn, Mr. Brafman suggested.
—Stephanie Clifford, New York Times, 28 June 2017
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The film starts with a dozen people waking up in what appears to be a central Arkansas clearing, deposited there by ruthless, urban sophisticates.
—Mark Kennedy, Detroit Free Press, 12 Mar. 2020
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This palette is a true sophisticate, using colors once thought to be the prerogative of decorators.
—Kelly Allen, House Beautiful, 23 July 2021
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Paired with leggings, platform boots, and oversized ski googles, the look was snow-bunny sophisticate — completely different from anything this diva has worn before.
—Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, 21 Dec. 2017
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Working from their studio in Saint Petersburg, their team of artisans cut, fold and stitch the finest of Italian textiles to craft sophisticate silhouettes that celebrate women.
—Bianca Salonga, Forbes, 21 May 2021
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The vibe is decidedly ‘urban-sophisticate’ at its most polished.
—Angelina Villa-Clarke, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2022
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sophisticate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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