sophisticated

Lazarakis   Fri May 19, 2006 3:24 pm GMT
"The impact of Mother Teresa's simple messages is very great and this has been witnessed time and again with audiences from the most sophisticated to her own poorest of the poor."

Does "the most sophisticated" mean "the richest"?
Ant_222   Fri May 19, 2006 3:56 pm GMT
It seems to me that here «sophisticated» means something like «grown wise with experience», «tried» or «versed».

Warning: I am not sure.
j   Fri May 19, 2006 5:58 pm GMT
It's not exactly right, though if someone is not enough wealthy, he (she) unlikely would be called "sophisticated". The word "sophisticated" often used when describing my favorite movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's". Even if you haven't seen the movie yet, read the following quotes from the reviews, it might help you to understand the meaning of the word better.

"...pretty, quirky Holly Golightly.... in public she flits through parties with a sexy, sophisticated air..."

"... Hepburn's urban sophisticate Holly Golightly, an enchanting neurotic living off the gifts of gentlemen, is a bewitching figure in designer dresses and costume jewelry."

"Everything about this film is classic. You have the timeless Hepburn and her defining performance as Holly Golightly, a sophisticated, sassy call-girl with a secret past".

"...a chic, sophisticated girl of questionable repute"
j   Fri May 19, 2006 6:04 pm GMT
so, it's not enough to be rich, you have to be urban and socialite; living a certain kind of life.
j   Fri May 19, 2006 8:56 pm GMT
2Ant_222 :
Both my posts should be marked as "Warning" too, because I'm not a native-speaker. BTW, I never understood, for example, what actually means the name of a women apparel store chain: "Petite Sophisticate". They sell usual stuff, nothing really sophisticated there - not a location, nor prices or selection.
George   Sat May 20, 2006 7:41 am GMT
<<Does "the most sophisticated" mean "the richest"?>>

Not exactly. You can be rich and still be a boor. Being sophisticated means you're worldly-wise and urbane; possessing refinement and a certain savoir-faire.
Nigel   Sat May 20, 2006 7:57 am GMT
It has unsavoury implications if used in its original sense: cf. OED; "sophisticate", spoil the simplicity or purity or naturalness of, corrupt or adulterate or tamper with.

Today however, as with so many words, it is more often used incorrectly, with the intention of implying the meanings mentioned previously on this thread.
j   Sat May 20, 2006 4:00 pm GMT
2Nigel
So, according to OED "It has unsavoury implications if used in its original sense"? May be. I looked up Cambridge online, ALL the examples it gives have a pretty neutral connotation, even it has a positive rather than negative shade of meaning:

sophisticate
1. having a good understanding of the way people behave and/or a good knowledge of culture and fashion:
She was slim, svelte and sophisticated.
I don't suppose I have any books that would suit your sophisticated tastes.
He was older than me and from London and I thought him very sophisticated.

2. clever in a complicated way and therefore able to do complicated tasks:
I think a more sophisticated approach is needed to solve this problem.
These are among the most sophisticated weapons in the world.
Nigel   Sun May 21, 2006 9:16 am GMT
There you go. As I said, it is now more often used incorrectly, thus the meaning has changed (for those who embrace the change); dictionaries, including the OED, reflect such changes, but my point was to mention the original definition (it wasn't a very old OED I quoted, and anyone with several decades behind him and a reasonable education would be aware of the word's earlier connotations).

It is an example of the minefield words can be: once someone with influence spreads his imperfect grasp of the meaning of a word, its meaning can alter considerably and quickly.