philistine

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

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

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See synonyms for: philistine / philistinism on Thesaurus.com

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR philistine

1 Babbitt, vulgarian.

3 lowbrow.

See synonyms for philistine on Thesaurus.com

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Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of philistine

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

OTHER WORDS FROM philistine

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

Words nearby philistine

Philip V, Philip VI, -philism, Philistia, Philistian, philistine, Philistines, Phillip, Phillips, Phillipsburg, Phillips curve

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

How to use philistine in a sentence

I’d guess that, as with so many other posts, an arts czar’s job would have gone unfilled in the current philistine administration.
The culture is ailing. It’s time for a Dr. Fauci for the arts.|Peter Marks|December 2, 2020|Washington Post
We are encouraged to “meet the artisan,” which may have you philistine-ishly reaching for the Doritos.
Blake Lively Gets Her GOOP On|Tim Teeman|July 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lest you think GWS is a snooty Philistine, I'll share that I'm a great lover of old English villages and towns.
Gal With a Suitcase|Jolie Hunt|July 17, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Before forty there is yet a chance that the budding ninny may desert, and degenerate into a prig, a Philistine, or a physician.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 108, April 6, 1895|Various

They are a Philistine remodelling of the Biblical drama, in the same style as his historical pictures.
The History of Modern Painting, Volume 1 (of 4)|Richard Muther
He may have been a Philistine, as Mr. Symonds calls him, but he was surely a Philistine of genius.
The Palace of Pleasure, Volume 1|William Painter
To console themselves for their failure they have invented the word Philistine, which expresses their contempt for the public.
The conquest of Rome|Matilde Serao
The pressure of Philistine conquest at last forced the Israelites with a common voice to "demand a king."
Early Israel and the Surrounding Nations|Archibald Sayce

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 of Philistine

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