middlebrow

[ mid-l-brou ]

/ ˈmɪd lˌbraʊ /

noun Informal.

a person of conventional tastes and interests in matters of culture; a moderately cultivated person.

Nearby words

middle-level, middle-of-the-road, middle-sized, middleborough, middlebreaker, middlebrow, middleburg heights, middlebuster, middlehand, middleman, middlemarch

Origin of middlebrow

1920–25; middle + brow, on the model of highbrow, lowbrow

Related forms

mid·dle·brow·ism, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for middlebrow

Salinger retooled it, retitled it "Paula," and sold it to Stag, a middlebrow publication for men.
What the Leaked J.D. Salinger Stories Reveal About the Author|Andrew Romano|November 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Or does middlebrow entertainment become appealing only when it has aged into a minority taste?
Why All the Hate for Les Mis?|Megan McArdle|January 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In the book, his scope includes both the high- and middlebrow.
This Week’s Hot Reads: Oct. 7, 2012|Nicholas Mancusi|October 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The absurdly successful Gwyn Barry is a hilarious take on middlebrow, narcissistic celebrity authors.
Remedial Reader: The Essential Martin Amis|Ronald K. Fried|August 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST

I'm not lauching into a middlebrow sermon here about our violence-drenched culture.
Death Imitates Art|Michael Tomasky|July 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for middlebrow

middlebrow

/ (ˈmɪdəlˌbraʊ) derogatory /

noun

a person with conventional tastes and limited cultural appreciation

adjective Also: middlebrowed

of or appealing to middlebrowsmiddlebrow culture

Derived Forms

middlebrowism, noun

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