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

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 • Mar. 24, 2026

“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 • Mar. 23, 2026

It feels like a logical jump, then, from the highbrow fine arts to the pop star Beyoncé, whom Ms. Chan describes as “the musician as artist as artwork.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

He reaped great commercial rewards with cutting-edge highbrow material—yet sometimes felt his audience couldn’t keep up.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 29, 2025

And Volpe’s tastes, in fact, are not uniformly highbrow.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

Related Words

• cerebral
• scholarly