philistine: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1formal, literary, critical
Quick answer
What does “philistine” mean?
A person who is indifferent or hostile to culture, the arts, and intellectual pursuits.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A person who is indifferent or hostile to culture, the arts, and intellectual pursuits.
Someone with narrow-minded, conventional views focused on material concerns, lacking in or actively dismissive of artistic and cultural refinement.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Both use the term similarly. Slightly more frequent in British English in cultural criticism and academia.
Connotations
Strongly negative in both varieties, implying smug anti-intellectualism and materialistic vulgarity.
Frequency
Uncommon in casual conversation; used in educated discourse about culture, arts, and society.
Grammar
How to Use “philistine” in a Sentence
a/the ~be (a) ~brand/label/dismiss someone as a ~Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “philistine” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- To philistine (verb form is archaic and virtually unused in modern English).
adverb
British English
- Philistinely (extremely rare).
adjective
British English
- The council's philistine decision to demolish the historic theatre caused an uproar.
American English
- He dismissed the modern art exhibit with a philistine shrug.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare. Might be used metaphorically to criticise a company culture lacking innovation or creativity.
Academic
Used in cultural studies, art history, and literary criticism to critique anti-intellectual attitudes.
Everyday
Very rare in casual talk. Used humorously or self-deprecatingly (e.g., 'I'm a bit of a philistine when it comes to opera.').
Technical
Not used as a technical term outside of historical references to the ancient Philistines.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “philistine”
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “philistine”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “philistine”
- Using it to mean simply 'stupid' or 'uneducated' rather than specifically culturally ignorant/hostile.
- Misspelling as 'phillistine' or 'philistene'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, in its modern sense. It is a strongly derogatory term for someone perceived as uncultured or hostile to the arts.
An archaic verb form ('to philistine') exists but is effectively obsolete. The word is almost exclusively used as a noun or adjective.
Both can imply lack of refinement. 'Philistine' emphasises active hostility or indifference to high culture. 'Plebeian' (from ancient Roman class) more often suggests common, coarse, or vulgar taste, without the same emphasis on anti-intellectualism.
When referring to the ancient people of Canaan, it is capitalised ('Philistine'). When used in its modern cultural sense, the lowercase form ('philistine') is standard.
A person who is indifferent or hostile to culture, the arts, and intellectual pursuits.
Philistine is usually formal, literary, critical in register.
Philistine: in British English it is pronounced /ˈfɪl.ɪ.staɪn/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈfɪl.ə.stiːn/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine someone named 'Phil' being 'stine'-hearted (like stone) towards beautiful art – a hard-hearted Philistine.
Conceptual Metaphor
CULTURAL REFINEMENT IS HEIGHT / LIGHT; a philistine is metaphorically LOW (lowbrow) or in the DARK.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the word 'philistine' used CORRECTLY?