philistines

noun

plural of philistine
as in materialists
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

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for philistines
  1. clowns
  2. capitalists
  3. rats
Noun
  • Gacy painted over a thousand pictures, many of clowns, while on death row in the 1980s and 1990s.
    — Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The weekend kicks off in earnest with the annual zombie walk, which this year also features clowns.
    — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of clowns
Noun
  • Especially when your polling is no doubt telling you that progressives and anti-capitalists will struggle to trust any billionaire, however seemingly benign.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Tech Week is in full bloom in San Francisco, packing the city’s restaurants this week with venture capitalists and AI founders ebullient about the White House’s stance on regulating artificial intelligence — namely, don’t do it.
    — Garance Burke, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of capitalists
Noun
  • First, ensure trash bins are tightly sealed and stored a few feet away from your home, since open waste easily attracts mice or rats.
    — Emily Benda Gaylord, The Spruce, 1 Nov. 2026
  • In Africa, giant pouched rats are employed to sniff out tuberculosis.
    — Marta Zaraaska, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of rats
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Philistines.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/philistines. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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