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
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in materialistic
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
3
as in uncultured
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of philistine
Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
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
Adjective
But philistine incomprehension never deterred Stein.
—Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
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
-
In recent years, what was seen as a purely utilitarian style has gotten a second look from designer labels, who’ve pushed the zip fleece in new directions with bold patterns and fabric blends that incorporate natural fibers.—
Eric Twardzik,
Robb Report,
10 Nov. 2025
-
The hotels in the area were adequate but utilitarian.—
Bambina Wise,
Footwear News,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The film is written to the anxious and, yes, materialistic beats of the here and now.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Which is to say, this isn’t the story of a greedy, materialistic man who suffers a crisis of conscience while trying to pry a priceless treasure away from an uneducated hick who doesn’t know any better.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Just the opposite: The slipup shows how culture pervades even my uncultured moments.—
Harmon Siegel,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
-
In certain circles, identifying with the city is shorthand for being uncultured and self-obsessed, even soulless.—
Ella Berman
August 7,
Literary Hub,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Highbrow, lowbrow, and everything in-between, Shudder’s marathon birthday party from 2025 should be remembered like an axe to the forehead.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Who says the eyebrow and the lowbrow don’t mix?—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo, who is generally a pretty pragmatic progressive, sees a silver lining.—
Domenico Montanaro,
NPR,
11 Nov. 2025
-
While the marquee race was democratic socialist Zorhan Mamdani’s win as New York’s youngest Mayor in more than a century and its first Muslim in the role, two more pragmatic nominees prevailed in races for Governor of Virginia and New Jersey.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Harlan has an avaricious family, each member of which has something to gain from his death.—
Anna Russell,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
-
What Netanyahu wants is not this peace deal or avaricious annexations, but to stay in power.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In her practice, Palazzolo focuses heavily on industrial materials as a way of turning things perceived as artless or overtly masculine on their head.—
Mario Rodriguez,
Miami Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
-
While the naked manicure trend has been reigning supreme among celebrities, Dua Lipa has forwent the current nail artless aesthetic for something altogether more starry and summer-ready.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
26 May 2025
Adjective
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Dirty Truths reminds us that renewal can be both beautiful and practical.—
Essence,
Essence,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The canals and pond, which were aggregately 193,000 cubic meters in volume and appear to have no practical purpose, would have taken 255,000 days of labor by a single individual.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Philistine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/philistine. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
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