as in materialist
a person who is chiefly interested in material comfort and is hostile or indifferent to art and culture
the town's philistines who think that spending on the arts is a waste of taxpayers' money
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in utilitarian
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in materialistic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in uncultured
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of philistine
Armond White, National Review, 3 Jan. 2025
In pre-Revolutionary Russia some critics derided his compositions as bourgeois work aimed at philistine audiences.
—Barrymore Laurence Scherer, WSJ, 3 Aug. 2022
There was no reason — other than bankrupt ideology and blinkered philistine pig-ignorance — not to go hog-wild with stimulus, say, $2 trillion for starters.
—Ryan Cooper, The Week, 10 Jan. 2022
Adjective
The Childhood of a Leader (titled after a Sartre short story), their style indicated a possible philistine route.
—Armond White, National Review, 3 Jan. 2025
In pre-Revolutionary Russia some critics derided his compositions as bourgeois work aimed at philistine audiences.
—Barrymore Laurence Scherer, WSJ, 3 Aug. 2022
There was no reason — other than bankrupt ideology and blinkered philistine pig-ignorance — not to go hog-wild with stimulus, say, $2 trillion for starters.
—Ryan Cooper, The Week, 10 Jan. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for philistine
Adjective
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Other bottoms include the High Baggy Short and the Lightweight Carpenter Short featuring a flattering mid-rise and utility pockets for a utilitarian edge.—
Kate Donnelly,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
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Read on to see some of our favorite stair runner ideas to make this utilitarian part of your home into a beautiful feature.—
Katie Akin,
Southern Living,
27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The production by the late director Michael Cavanagh, which comes courtesy of San Francisco Opera, is indeed materialistic.—
Mark Swed,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2025
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Saxon is all about getting off, and Piper is renouncing the materialistic.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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For their part, the Russians considered the Mizrahim—indeed, most Israelis—loud, uncultured boors.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
5 Oct. 2024
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Inserting two distinct forms of the gene into clusters of uncultured cells, the team discovered that the form of NOVA1 found in H. neanderthalensis created bumpier blobs of brain tissue when cultured, while the form of NOVA1 found in H. sapiens created smooth, spherical clumps.—
Sam Walters,
Discover Magazine,
1 Mar. 2023
Adjective
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Instead, try being pragmatic and use your past thoughts and actions as a tool for future success. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn.—
Theodore McDarrah,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
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Helix BioPharma recognizes this challenge and has built its pragmatic approach to innovation around mitigating these risks.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The comedy-drama follows a Gen Z content creator who returns to her ancestral home seeking viral material, only to encounter her deceased brother’s ghost while dealing with avaricious relatives.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
14 Apr. 2025
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This nation state, my home, is built on a quagmire of lies sold to the young as truths; sold to the insecure as truths; sold by the avaricious, the power-hungry, the conceited, the overwhelmingly white and male.—
Christine Winter,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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There are few modern actors as purely watchable as Walton Goggins, a performer who is capable of both relishing in lowbrow material and elevating it with effortless charm.—
Daniel Dockery,
Vulture,
6 Apr. 2025
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The song is a cheeky touch, but also a nod to Daryle’s milieu: a lowbrow America of swamp tours, chain motels, and motorcycle shops.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Thanks to Jenner’s hundreds of millions of followers on Instagram, Snapchat, and other social media, Jenner had easy and essentially costless access to an acquisitive demographic.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
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Like other acquisitive companies, the integration of technology was sub-optimal.—
Peter High,
Forbes.com,
30 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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All that’s there is an artless effort to provoke outrage — Tony Hinchcliffe with the world’s strongest Boston accent.—
Joe Berkowitz,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2024
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The untenable toxicity of this artless warfare has led some researchers to rethink the ancient script—and flip it: know yourself, know your enemy.—
Beth Mole,
Ars Technica,
15 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Philistine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/philistine. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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