masscult

[ mas-kuhlt ]

noun

1. the forms of culture, as music, drama, and literature, as selected, interpreted, and popularized by the mass media for dissemination to the widest possible audience.

Word History and Origins

Origin of masscult¹

mass + cult(ure); coined by U.S. author and social critic Dwight Macdonald (1906-82) in his essay “Masscult and Midcult” (1960)