lowest common denominator

noun

1

: least common denominator

2

: something of small intellectual content designed to appeal to a lowbrow audience

also : such an audience

Examples of lowest common denominator in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The regular Quest headset is essentially the lowest common denominator—or the minimum viable product—to keep the cost down. —Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, 6 June 2023

The attempt at bipartisanship and gender equity was not lost on me, but the use of age as the lowest common denominator of those who support reproductive rights and fair immigration laws and those who seek to annihilate such measures struck me as inappropriately reductive. —The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023

And so, with the new NBA season finally upon us, here is a preview of the lowest common denominator beefs that will be sure to dominate coverage this year. —Corbin Smith, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2023

Graham’s portrait of that time — illuminated vividly by director Jason Loewith and 13 splendid actors — pinpoints a moment when rough-and-ready newspaper journalism ceased to be gleeful, turning instead into a grim search for the lowest common denominator. —Peter Marks, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

lowest common denominator

noun

: least common denominator