lowest common denominator

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noun Mathematics.

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Origin of lowest common denominator

First recorded in 1935–40

Words nearby lowest common denominator

Lower Slobbovia, lower the boom on, lower world, lowery, Lowes, lowest common denominator, lowest common multiple, Lowestoft, lowest terms, low explosive, low-fat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use lowest common denominator in a sentence

Moving forward, perhaps the American food media could hold its readers to a higher standard rather than pandering to the lowest common denominator, which is precisely what happens when it measures women against a towering figure like Child.
It’s Time to Retire the ‘Julia Child Of’ Trope|Mayukh Sen|December 9, 2021|Eater
As a member-run trade association, their position is often driven by the lowest common denominator.
America’s Food Safety System Failed to Stop a Salmonella Epidemic. It’s Still Making People Sick.|by Bernice Yeung, Michael Grabell, Irena Hwang and Mollie Simon|October 29, 2021|ProPublica
We kind of reduce things to the lowest common denominator, in some ways for good and in some ways not for good.
Daphne Merkin on Lena Dunham, Book Criticism, and Self-Examination|Mindy Farabee|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lowest common denominator campaigning and dumb pandering in this country dates back to at least the presidential election of 1800.
Wanted: More Devious Politicians|Nancy Kaffer|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But the vast history of journalism has been about bias and yellow journalism and selling out to the lowest common denominator.
The Director Isn’t Done Yet: An Interview With Steven Soderbergh|Andrew Romano|August 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What will sexual liberation look like at the bottom-feeding, lowest common denominator?
Were Christians Right About Gay Marriage All Along?|Jay Michaelson|May 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Predictably, a communiqué that represents a consensus among such actors expresses a lowest common denominator.
Assessing Obama’s Nuclear Summit|Graham Allison|April 17, 2010|DAILY BEAST
In a fortuitous assembly of such people the lowest common denominator of morality is easily adopted as the standard.
The Law and the Poor|Edward Abbott Parry
That is a result of a mathematical mind; perhaps she can reduce even names to their lowest common denominator.'
A City Schoolgirl|May Baldwin
Life was reduced to the lowest common denominator, the natural companionship of man, woman, and nature.
The Dual Alliance|Marjorie Benton Cooke

British Dictionary definitions for lowest common denominator

lowest common denominator

noun

the smallest integer or polynomial that is exactly divisible by each denominator of a set of fractionsAbbreviation: LCD, lcd Also called: least common denominator

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for lowest common denominator

lowest common denominator

[ lō′ĭst ]

The least common multiple of the denominators of a set of fractions. For example, the lowest common denominator of 13 and 34 is 12.

Cultural definitions for lowest common denominator

lowest common denominator

The smallest number that can be divided evenly into two other numbers (see common denominator). When fractions with different denominators are added together, their denominators have to be made the same; thus, fractions with denominators of nine and twelve have thirty-six as a lowest common denominator. Seventy-two and 108 are also common denominators for fractions with denominators of nine and twelve, but thirty-six is the lowest.

notes for lowest common denominator

The term lowest common denominator is often used to indicate a lowering of quality resulting from a desire to find common ground for many people: “This fall's TV programming finds the lowest common denominator of taste.”

lowest common denominator

Origin of lowest common denominator

Words nearby lowest common denominator

Words related to lowest common denominator

How to use lowest common denominator in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lowest common denominator

Scientific definitions for lowest common denominator

Cultural definitions for lowest common denominator

notes for lowest common denominator