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
Noun
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
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In one utilitarian style, a gladiator-like sandal could be seen with a minimalist square U-shape and hefty toe straps.—
Jaden Thompson,
Footwear News,
6 Oct. 2025
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There were also utilitarian jackets styled over loose dresses.—
Kati Chitrakorn,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The track pokes fun at consumerism and a materialistic society constantly seeking the next best thing, a theme that remains relevant nearly 45 years later.—
Nour Rahal,
Freep.com,
22 Sep. 2025
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Will Angie survive without her beloved materialistic items?—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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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
-
For their part, the Russians considered the Mizrahim—indeed, most Israelis—loud, uncultured boors.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
5 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Who says the eyebrow and the lowbrow don’t mix?—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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That’s the image projected by Chicago’s pragmatic, unemotional manager, Craig Counsell, who continues to get lustily booed in his hometown.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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In their nine years working together, the decorators have developed their own sleight of hand, cleverly camouflaging pragmatic choices as strictly aesthetic ones.—
Betsy Cribb Watson,
Southern Living,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But is better than the alternative of admitting to an avaricious Moscow that Ukraine must accept some kind of defeat.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
24 Sep. 2025
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Manipulating these obviously very greedy and avaricious [people] is still kind of beneath his skills.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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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
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First adapted for the screen by Otto Preminger in 1958, the film starred David Niven and Jean Seberg, forever conflating the author in the public imagination with the artless allure — and iconic haircut — of Ms. Seberg.—
Sadie Stein,
New York Times,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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Building out that platform and benefiting as more teams are plugged into it has meant Leonsis and MSE have stayed acquisitive.—
Ian Thomas,
CNBC,
18 Sep. 2025
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Retail e-commerce penetration had surged during the pandemic, which brought a rush of acquisitive capital into the space.—
Lien De Pau,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Philistine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/philistine. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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