as in intellectual
much given to learning and thinking
finally, a TV series that appeals to a highbrow audience
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in nerd
a person with strong intellectual interests
guests at her elegant dinner parties are a mix of the city's highbrows and captains of industry
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of highbrow
Judy Berman, Time, 20 Feb. 2026
And the platform, which mixes highbrow political news sites with pop culture sources like People, has quietly emerged as a major force in the US information space.
—semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2023
Tár is its highbrow counterpart, teasing and celebrating the same personal crisis and class issues.
—Armond White, National Review, 27 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for highbrow
Adjective
Monica doubts this highbrow Brit is capable of understanding Reggie’s rags-to-riches-to-infamy tale.
—Judy Berman, Time, 20 Feb. 2026
And the platform, which mixes highbrow political news sites with pop culture sources like People, has quietly emerged as a major force in the US information space.
—semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Noun
The roll call of films ranges from the highbrow to the decidedly grungy, the menu of a true movie fanatic.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2023
Tár is its highbrow counterpart, teasing and celebrating the same personal crisis and class issues.
—Armond White, National Review, 27 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for highbrow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for highbrow
Adjective
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But Lemisch’s comes with an intellectual pedigree forged in the history wars of the ’60s and ’70s.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
-
The games holds that exact intellectual tension at its core.—
Clara Molot,
Vanity Fair,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Meanwhile, other indie auteurs, from Alex Garland to David Lowery, have worked with studios like A24 and Neon to repeatedly deliver punishing films that position cerebral complexity as an event worth visiting theaters to witness.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
4 May 2026
-
Tverskov is the cerebral metronome of Varas’ possession system.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
From the scholarly and enlightened to the tough and intimidating, people of all walks of life and cultural backgrounds love a good, thick face of hair.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Likewise, scholarly exchanges are picking up.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Highbrow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/highbrow. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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