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
Related Words
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
-
Or is this like simply utilitarian, where function kind of trumps aesthetics?—
Caron Golden,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Feb. 2026
-
The motion called for the bureau and DWP with assistance from the City Attorney’s Office to discuss further code amendments or interagency agreements to improve the utilitarian street lights program as well.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The pursuit of happiness, both materialistic and spiritual, is a recurring theme in my feature films.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
19 Jan. 2026
-
More involved in things that aren’t materialistic.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The brand has come to signify rugged, often uncultured New York grit, its actual working-class relevance and celebration in seminal rap lyrics feeding internet snarkers’ stereotypes of city dwellers.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Just the opposite: The slipup shows how culture pervades even my uncultured moments.—
Harmon Siegel,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
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
Adjective
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After a pair of false starts this season with Herro returns, having missed the start of the season following September ankle surgery, the approach has been pragmatic, with a longer view in mind.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Pulling out paintbrushes Brooks is tackling his ambitious to-do list with vigor and a pragmatic, systematic way.—
Cheryl Hall,
Dallas Morning News,
22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Henwick’s Ruth, opposite Margaret Qualley’s avaricious Julia, represent a fork in the road for Becket.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Harlan has an avaricious family, each member of which has something to gain from his death.—
Anna Russell,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
That suits the artless, unfiltered way Yo describes her life, spending a fair amount of time recollecting her own childhood.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Feb. 2026
-
By contrast, Erika is a vamp, a woman whose wardrobe encompasses high fashion and BDSM — maybe this is what makes Erika choose him to be her assistant, just as her icy, dominatrix cool appeals to the refreshingly artless Elliot.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Answers tend to range from the familiar and practical (teacher or nurse), to the aspirational (astronaut or pro athlete), to the fanciful (superhero).—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Your 10th House of Bold Moves gains focus as the intuitive Moon enters, ensuring your practical mind spots the next improvement that makes work run smoothly.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Philistine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/philistine. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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