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
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Apparently some fans were using some vulgar language toward Brunson in Game 1.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
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Doolan also received several emails calling her a vulgar word that typically refers to women.—
Maven Navarro
June 3,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 June 2026
Noun
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The final Scary Movie trailer opens with a fittingly grotesque send-up of Terrifier, the ultra-bloody, low-budget clown slasher that's built a cult following.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 June 2026
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What appears to be a Unitree G1 humanoid robot wearing a blue clown wig can be seen confidently executing a roundhouse kick — squarely in the stomach of a young child in the audience, causing the kid to double over in pain.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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Boys and young men have always enjoyed the crassest of humor.—
Donie O'Sullivan,
CNN Money,
6 June 2026
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Materazzi said something crass about Zidane’s sister and suddenly had a bald head in his chest.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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That seems a pretty rude thing to write in the newspaper.—
Peter Larsen,
Oc Register,
10 June 2026
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Brock isn’t being rude — far from it.—
Rachel Brodsky,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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Earlier this year, Cagle told the city council that around half of all bus and light rail riders are not paying their fares, with rail evasion the most common occurrence.—
DJ Simmons,
Charlotte Observer,
12 June 2026
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One of the world’s most durable and amicable alliances — born of geography, heritage and centuries of common interests — is broken, as seen in several recent examples of tension between leaders.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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The coarser shades of red and orange, illuminated by the setting sun on the western portals, color the side of the basilica that depicts Christ’s Passion.—
Joseph Wilson,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
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Hair loss is self-explanatory, while dryness results from damage to the outer layer of the cuticle, leading to moisture loss and hair that feels coarse and appears dull.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
8 June 2026
Adjective
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Grossman pleaded not guilty, but in February 2024, she was found guilty on two counts of murder, two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter and one count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death, per The New York Times.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
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Algal blooms can create dangerous conditions at beaches, and soil runoff can make the water just feel gross.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lowbrow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lowbrow. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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