lowbrow

L1O1W4B3R1O1W4
US/ˈloʊbɹaʊ/UK/ˈləʊbɹaʊ/

adjective

Unsophisticated, not intended for an audience of intelligence, education or culture.

“The Three Stooges are known for their lowbrow slapstick humor consisting of foolish action for the masses.”

Similar
idiotlowbroweduncultivatednonintellectualphilistineanti-intellectual
Opposite
highbrow
UncommonScrabble 15
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Meanings

adjectivelowbrow (comparative more lowbrow, superlative most lowbrow)

comparative more lowbrow · superlative most lowbrow · alternative low-brow

  1. Unsophisticated, not intended for an audience of intelligence, education or culture.

    The Three Stooges are known for their lowbrow slapstick humor consisting of foolish action for the masses.

nounlowbrow (countable and uncountable, plural lowbrows)

plural lowbrows · alternative low-brow

  1. countableSomeone or something of low education or culture.
  2. uncountableartAn underground populist visual art movement that arose in the Los Angeles area in the late 1960s, inspired by comics, punk music, graffiti, etc.

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
idiot
Opposite
highbrow

adjectivecharacteristic of a person who is not cultivated or does not have intellectual tastes

Similar
lowbroweduncultivatednonintellectual

nouna person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits

Similar
philistineanti-intellectual
Broader
plebeianpleb
Also see
anti-intellectualdoofusnonintellectualphilistinestupiduncultivated

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

A bahuvrihi compound of low + brow. An Americanism whose first use appears c. 1902. Refers to the (by that time discredited) pseudoscience of phrenology, which suggested that a person of low intelligence and sophistication would possess a lower brow-line than someone of greater intelligence and sophistication.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian просташки, профан
  • просташки (prostaški)unsophisticated
  • профан (profan)Someone of low culture
  • простак (prostak)Someone of low culture
Czech prostý, jednoduchý
  • prostýunsophisticated
  • jednoduchýunsophisticated
  • přízemníunsophisticated
Finnish matalaotsainen, luiskaotsainen
  • matalaotsainenunsophisticated
  • luiskaotsainenunsophisticated
French bas de plafond
  • bas de plafondunsophisticated
German niveaulos, ungebildet
  • niveaulosunsophisticated
  • ungebildetunsophisticated
  • banausischunsophisticated
  • KulturbanauseSomeone of low culture
Hungarian szofisztikálatlan, proli
  • szofisztikálatlanunsophisticated
  • proliunsophisticated
  • szennyunsophisticated
  • aljaunsophisticated
Polish prymitywny, niskich lotów
  • prymitywnyunsophisticated
  • niskich lotówunsophisticated
  • prymitywSomeone of low culture
Russian низкопро́бный, низкосо́ртный
  • низкопро́бный (nizkopróbnyj)unsophisticated
  • низкосо́ртный (nizkosórtnyj)unsophisticated
  • по́шлый (póšlyj)unsophisticated
Cite this entry
APA

lowbrow. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lowbrow

MLA

“lowbrow.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lowbrow. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lowbrow,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lowbrow.

Source: lowbrow on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.