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.
The latest chapter in the lowbrow but lucrative "Minions" franchise debuted atop the North American box office this weekend, edging out another popular animation series in "Toy Story," industry estimates showed Sunday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026
The biggest appeal of these lowbrow collections—one reader recalls a co-worker telling his kids that souvenir was French for crap—are instant memories.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Highbrow or lowbrow, we have gathered here to serve humanity’s darkest impulses.
From Slate ● Feb. 23, 2026
Still, his research revealed a fascinating throughline: the line between highbrow and lowbrow cuisine has always been blurry, and gelatin salads are a perfect case study.
From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2025
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.
