lowbrow
Americannoun
adjective
-
being a lowbrow.
that lowbrow idiot.
-
of, relating to, or proper to a lowbrow.
lowbrow entertainment.
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lowbrow
Explanation
Anything or anyone lowbrow is unsophisticated and uncultivated. Videos that become wildly popular on the internet tend to be lowbrow. Something that is lowbrow doesn’t provide much intellectual stimulation, and it may be in poor taste. Comedies that rely heavily on insults, physical gags, and jokes about bodily functions can usually be described as lowbrow. Forms of entertainment such as operas and Shakespearean plays are typically regarded as highbrow — the opposite of lowbrow. Surprisingly, they can have their fair share of lowbrow humor as well.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Highbrow or lowbrow, we have gathered here to serve humanity’s darkest impulses.
From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026
Beyond the lowbrow perception of buying wine at a bulk retailer, wineries risk alienating loyal customers if their bottles sell for less than they offer them at the vineyards.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025
The very name conjures images of sweltering summer picnics, soggy sandwiches and a kind of lowbrow indulgence we don’t like to admit we enjoy.
From Salon • Mar. 27, 2025
He is attracted to artists who are interested in long-term collaborations, but also those with a mixture of highbrow, lowbrow sensibilities.
From New York Times • Feb. 4, 2024
Eliminating those unfamiliar with the Stooges’ slapstick, physical, lowbrow comedy, I found that an overwhelming 8 percent of my sample admitted to such an indulgence.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
