philistine

[ fil-uh-steen, -stahyn, fi-lis-tin, -teen ]

noun

1. (sometimes initial capital letter) a person who is lacking in or hostile or smugly indifferent to cultural values, intellectual pursuits, aesthetic refinement, etc., or is contentedly commonplace in ideas and tastes.

   Synonyms: vulgarian, Babbitt

2. (initial capital letter) a native or inhabitant of ancient Philistia.

adjective

1. (sometimes initial capital letter) lacking in or hostile to culture.

   Synonyms: lowbrow

2. smugly commonplace or conventional.
3. (initial capital letter) of or belonging to the ancient Philistines.

Philistine

/ ˈfɪlɪstɪˌnɪzəm; ˈfɪlɪˌstaɪn /

noun

1. a person who is unreceptive to or hostile towards culture, the arts, etc; a smug boorish person
2. a member of the non-Semitic people who inhabited ancient Philistia

adjective

1. sometimes not capital boorishly uncultured
2. of or relating to the ancient Philistines

Derived Forms

• Philistinism, noun

Other Words From

• phil·is·tin·ism [fil, -, uh, -stee-niz-, uh, m, -stahy-, fi-, lis, -t, uh, -niz-, uh, m, -tee-], noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of philistine¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin Philistīnī (plural) < Late Greek Philistînoi < Hebrew pəlishtīm

Example Sentences

One result of auteurism is books like this, which cast directors as larger-than-life characters making extraordinary art despite all the philistines around them.

From Los Angeles Times

And a good thing too, since in Paul’s own estimation, Barton boys are, with rare exception, a hopeless bunch of “philistines,” “reprobates,” “troglodytes,” “degenerates,” “hormonal vulgarians,” “fetid layabouts” and “snarling Visigoths.”

From Los Angeles Times

It’s a uniquely philistine movement, but its political consequences are its most troubling aspect.

From Los Angeles Times

I must add that, as you drive in Boston now, across the Longfellow Bridge to the Ted Williams Tunnel, it’s pretty obvious that high culture has its philistine competition.

From New York Times

I, on the other hand, remain a philistine and a hayseed.

From Washington Post