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⇱ philistine - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

philistine

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations'philistine', 'Philistine': /ˈfɪlɪˌstaɪn/

US:USA pronunciation: IPAUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈfɪləˌstin, -ˌstaɪn, fɪˈlɪstɪn, -tin/

US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(fil′ə stēn′, -stīn′, fi lis′tin, -tēn)



WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
phil•is•tine /ˈfɪləˌstin, -ˌstaɪn, fɪˈlɪstɪn, -tin/USA pronunciation   n. [countable* sometimes: Philistine]
  1. one who is lacking in culture, good taste, etc.

adj. 
  1. lacking in culture, good taste, etc.;
    uncultivated.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
phil•is•tine  (fil′ə stēn′, -stīn′, fi lis′tin, -tēn),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. (sometimes cap.) a person who is lacking in or hostile or smugly indifferent to cultural values, intellectual pursuits, aesthetic refinement, etc., or is contentedly commonplace in ideas and tastes.
  2. Language Varieties, Ancient History(cap.) a native or inhabitant of ancient Philistia.

adj. 
  1. (sometimes cap.) lacking in or hostile to culture.
  2. smugly commonplace or conventional.
  3. Ancient History(cap.) of or belonging to the ancient Philistines.
  • Hebrew pəlishtīm
  • Late Greek Philistînoi
  • Late Latin Philistīnī (plural)
  • 1350–1400; Middle English
    1. Babbitt, vulgarian. 3. lowbrow.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
Philistine /ˈfɪlɪˌstaɪn/ n
  1. a person who is unreceptive to or hostile towards culture, the arts, etc; a smug boorish person
  2. a member of the non-Semitic people who inhabited ancient Philistia
 adj
  1. (sometimes not capital) boorishly uncultured
  2. of or relating to the ancient Philistines
Philistinism /ˈfɪlɪstɪˌnɪzəm/ n
'philistine' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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