lowest common denominator

noun

1

: least common denominator

2

: something of small intellectual content designed to appeal to a lowbrow audience

also : such an audience

Examples of lowest common denominator in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Interestingly, though, Oppenheim doesn’t see the media as inherently corrupting; in Primetime, television is simply an empty space, and the desperation to fill it with the lowest common denominator is where the rots starts to set in. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2026

Sitcoms and, in later years, reality television were the lowest common denominators of the genre. — Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2026

But in practice, the bill will create a permanent federal deregulatory mandate that freezes agricultural standards at the lowest common denominator. — John Cleveland, Boston Herald, 7 Apr. 2026

Real estate has already been brought down to the lowest common denominator — a website entry with a price. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 1 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for lowest common denominator

• accelerator
• accumulator
• adjudicator
• administrator
• appropriator
• articulator
• attenuator
• bronchodilator
• collaborator
• communicator
• conciliator
• cooperator

Kids Definition

lowest common denominator

noun

: least common denominator