highbrow

American  

[hahy-brou] / ˈhaɪˌbraʊ /

noun

1. a person of superior intellectual interests and tastes.

2. a person with intellectual or cultural pretensions; intellectual snob.

3. the crestfish.

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adjective

1. Also highbrowed of, relating to, or characteristic of a highbrow.

   Synonyms:

   pseudointellectual, snobbish, bookish, cultured, scholarly, intellectual

highbrow British  

/ ˈhaɪˌbraʊ /

noun

1. a person of scholarly and erudite tastes

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adjective

1. appealing to highbrows

   highbrow literature

Other Word Forms

• highbrowism noun

Etymology

Origin of highbrow

First recorded in 1895–1900; high + brow

Example Sentences

He was an everyday guy who had fallen in love, not a highbrow sophisticate.

From The Wall Street Journal

At the time, Bravo was forging a new identity in reality programming after years as a niche cable network that aired highbrow art films, opera and ballet.

From Los Angeles Times

First with the Cambridge Footlights and later with the Pythons, Idle honed a linguistically-focused style that bridged highbrow absurdity and accessible, pop culture-driven humor.

From Los Angeles Times

“I mean, what is the purpose that they serve, other than speaking to other completely disconnected supposedly highbrow people that live in congested urban areas?”

From Salon

In 1974, he founded his own firm specializing in entertainment law, a niche many highbrow Wall Street lawyers dismissed as frivolous at the time.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• cerebral
• scholarly