peanut gallery

noun

1

: the upper balcony of a theater

Carnegie Hall was packed, the balconies rising row on row, full, even to the "peanut gallery."

—Lady Bird Johnson

also : a section of cheap seats in a theater or the group of spectators seated there

I don't even get to sit with Megan since she's real high society and I'm just her … fiancée. I'll be down in the peanut gallery with the low-lifes …

—John Ringo

2

: a group of critics or commentators likened to spectators in the cheap seats of a theater

But even so, last year's adaptation … reaped more backlash from critics than its pop-blockbuster excellence deserved. The peanut gallery didn't like director Gary Ross's handheld camerawork …

—Ross Douthat

The announcement that "The Inheritance of Loss" had won the Booker was met (as these announcements always are) with a few gripes from the peanut gallery in Britain.

—Dwight Garner

Examples of peanut gallery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Robyn refused to accept a one-on-one discussion with Candiace, which allowed for too much interference from the peanut gallery. —Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2024

Comcast could wind up turning a profit when all is said and done, but the stillness at the heart of the online peanut gallery may prove to be Paris’ greatest legacy. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 13 Aug. 2024

The private sorrows that are amplified by a thousand casually cruel cuts from the cultural peanut gallery. —April Daniels Hussar, Allure, 24 July 2024

Much has been said by commentators (from experts to the unqualified members of the peanut gallery) about Biles' decision to drop out midway through the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 because of mental health concerns. —Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 22 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined at sense 1