philistine

[ fil-uh-steen, -stahyn, fi-lis-tin, -teen ]

/ ˈfɪl əˌstin, -ˌstaɪn, fɪˈlɪs tɪn, -tin /

noun

(sometimes initial capital letter) a person who is lacking in or hostile or smugly indifferent to cultural values, intellectual pursuits, aesthetic refinement, etc., or is contentedly commonplace in ideas and tastes.

(initial capital letter) a native or inhabitant of ancient Philistia.

adjective

(sometimes initial capital letter) lacking in or hostile to culture.

smugly commonplace or conventional.

(initial capital letter) of or belonging to the ancient Philistines.

Nearby words

philippopolis, philippus, philips, philistia, philistian, philistine, philistines, phillip, phillips, phillips catheter, phillips curve

Origin of philistine

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin Philistīnī (plural) < Late Greek Philistînoi < Hebrew pəlishtīm

SYNONYMS FOR philistine

1 Babbitt, vulgarian.

3 lowbrow.

Related forms

phil·is·tin·ism

[fil-uh-stee-niz-uhm, -stahy-, fi-lis-tuh-niz-uhm, -tee-] /ˈfɪl ə stiˌnɪz əm, -staɪ-, fɪˈlɪs təˌnɪz əm, -ti-/, noun

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

Examples from the Web for philistine

They snap strong cords even as Samson did the Philistine withes.
The Firebrand|S. R. Crockett
Jonathan and his armour-bearer charged the Philistine garrison and routed hundreds singlehanded.
When the Holy Ghost is Come|S. L. Brengle
The traditional enemy, the Philistine, comes up over the hill.
Quiet Talks on Service|S. D. Gordon
This refers to the coast of Palestine in the neighborhood of the Philistine cities or Gezer.
Archology and the Bible|George A. Barton

And do you understand, Fred, that it would be base on my part were I to follow you to the Philistine?
Mother Earth, Vol. 1 No. 2, April 1906|Various

British Dictionary definitions for philistine

Philistine

/ (ˈfɪlɪˌstaɪn) /

noun

a person who is unreceptive to or hostile towards culture, the arts, etc; a smug boorish person

a member of the non-Semitic people who inhabited ancient Philistia

adjective

(sometimes not capital) boorishly uncultured

of or relating to the ancient Philistines

Derived Forms

Philistinism (ˈfɪlɪstɪˌnɪzəm), 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