as in vulgar
lacking in refinement or good taste
at office gatherings his lowbrow humor often embarrassed his coworkers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in philistine
a person who is chiefly interested in material comfort and is hostile or indifferent to art and culture
the town's lowbrows think that the school's music program is a complete waste of taxpayers' money
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lowbrow
Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 4 Feb. 2026
His work embodies highbrow and lowbrow materials through a time in the 20th century when architecture was trending hard toward highbrow minimalism.
—Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 11 Jan. 2026
Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 9 Jan. 2026
That balance of high- and lowbrow is absent in The Abandons.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lowbrow
Adjective
One of the most interesting things about the movie is the way Demme alternates between the more obvious, lowbrow gangster humor and the quiet, incredibly powerful moments between Pfeiffer and Modine that sneak up on the viewer.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 4 Feb. 2026
His work embodies highbrow and lowbrow materials through a time in the 20th century when architecture was trending hard toward highbrow minimalism.
—Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 11 Jan. 2026
Noun
Executives at NBCUniversal frame Bravo as a brand that represents a particular type of lowbrow-highbrow reality TV, and that even if the channel vanished, the brand could live on.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 9 Jan. 2026
That balance of high- and lowbrow is absent in The Abandons.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lowbrow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lowbrow
Adjective
-
Her husband says that's a very vulgar pet.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
-
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s biographer Andrew Lownie shared a vulgar pickup line that the former prince allegedly used while trying to pick up women.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
The service There’s nothing as crass as a check-in desk here.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
In fact, the very term anti-Semitism was popularized by Wilhelm Marr, a German nationalist who sought to distinguish his anti-Jewish ideology from the crass bigotry of the common folk by dressing his hate up in pseudoscientific terms.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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There is a profound difference between rude political commentary and language that normalizes violence against other human beings.—
Naperville Sun,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2026
-
In other words, leaving early isn't inherently rude.—
Jamie Cuccinelli,
Martha Stewart,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
In 1863, representatives of football clubs from the larger London area met to discuss the formation of a football association and a common set of rules.—
Thomas Adam,
The Conversation,
29 May 2026
-
Fires are common at Kenyan schools, with many set by students protesting harsh discipline and poor conditions, researchers have found.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
29 May 2026
Noun
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Grotesque sea hags, killer clowns, demonic self-help books and more plague the town and its mayor, Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys).—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2026
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His near-daily press conferences are just part of a traveling, partisan clown show.—
Scott Maxwell,
Sun Sentinel,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
The global public square has been getting coarser for years, and social media has played a big part in the deterioration.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
1 June 2026
-
Add Fresh Mulch Mulch with a coarse or sharp texture—such as large wood chips—can irritate a snake's belly scales.—
Michelle Mastro,
Martha Stewart,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
Last year, when prices spent a considerable amount of time under $3 a gallon on average, gas added about a tenth of a percentage point to the company’s gross margin.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
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Although corporate profits are booming, labor's share of gross domestic income has fallen to 51%, the lowest in 79 years that records have been kept, the Wall Street Journal reported.—
Matt Peterson,
CNBC,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lowbrow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lowbrow. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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