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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in materialistic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in uncultured
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of philistine
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
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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At that time, the only other EVs available for a similar price were the utilitarian Chevy Bolt and Nissan Leaf.—
Andrew J. Hawkins,
The Verge,
21 Jan. 2025
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Parkas and zippered windbreaker styles stood out for their elevated utilitarian appeal, to be layered over nylon Tactel workwear suits or corduroy ensembles featuring an overshirt.—
Luisa Zargani,
WWD,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Those impossible beauty standards, the constant self-doubt, unhealthy coping mechanisms, and materialistic desires are some of the other examples of what people say goodbye to in their thirties.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
12 Jan. 2025
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In his view, the fact that routine materialistic calculations make such an outcome unlikely is unimportant, because divine providence will bring it about.—
Akbar Ganji,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Aug. 2013
Adjective
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For their part, the Russians considered the Mizrahim—indeed, most Israelis—loud, uncultured boors.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
5 Oct. 2024
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Inserting two distinct forms of the gene into clusters of uncultured cells, the team discovered that the form of NOVA1 found in H. neanderthalensis created bumpier blobs of brain tissue when cultured, while the form of NOVA1 found in H. sapiens created smooth, spherical clumps.—
Sam Walters,
Discover Magazine,
1 Mar. 2023
Adjective
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In a notable contrast to the quiet reign of predecessor Greg Barclay, a pragmatic New Zealander who flew under the radar, Shah relishes being front and center.—
Tristan Lavalette,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
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After late goals and comebacks carried them to the 2018-19 crown, the 2020-21 season came with a more pragmatic approach.—
Beren Cross,
The Athletic,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Pearce plays Van Buren as hungry and avaricious even in his kinder moments, a man of immense wealth whose primary desire is to own more and more.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
10 Jan. 2025
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Ever since the United States liberated Kuwait from the avaricious clutches of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in the Gulf War of 1990-91, the Kuwaitis have supported U.S. priorities in the Middle East and elsewhere.—
Martin Indyk,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Feb. 2022
Adjective
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What Should the New Name Be? Clearly, the goal was a name that felt neither too highbrow nor too lowbrow, as restaurants have been trending toward an unstuffy seriousness for decades.—
Jesse David Fox,
Vulture,
10 July 2024
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Tobe Hooper’s 1974 slasher masterpiece embraced its lowbrow status with its matter-of-fact title and unapologetic gore, likely seen by many as a cheap attempt to ride shock value into a quick box office gold mine.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
21 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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The condition for the survival of an acquisitive society is twofold.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Dec. 2011
-
The synergies that acquisitive CEOs routinely promise often fail to materialize, but in this instance there was never any realistic prospect for synergies.—
Martin Fridson,
Forbes,
25 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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All that’s there is an artless effort to provoke outrage — Tony Hinchcliffe with the world’s strongest Boston accent.—
Joe Berkowitz,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2024
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The untenable toxicity of this artless warfare has led some researchers to rethink the ancient script—and flip it: know yourself, know your enemy.—
Beth Mole,
Ars Technica,
15 July 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near philistine
Cite this Entry
“Philistine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/philistine. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.
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