Meanings
plural philistinisms
- countableuncountableA materialistic attitude accompanied by ignorance of artistic or cultural matters.
It's impossible to tell the story of flamenco without talking about Lorca, who found in it a source of inspiration in a lifelong political-cultural-sexual struggle against bourgeois philistinism.
2010 February 5, Mike Marqusee, “Flamenco's humane roots”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 23 Jan 2023
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna desire for wealth and material possessions with little interest in ethical or spiritual matters
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Finnish filistealaisuus
- filistealaisuusphilistinism
French béotisme
- béotismephilistinism
German Banausentum, Banausie
- Banausentumphilistinism
- Banausiephilistinism
- Philistereiphilistinism
- Spießbürgertumphilistinism
Polish mieszczaństwo
- mieszczaństwophilistinism
Portuguese filistinismo
- filistinismophilistinism
Russian меща́нство, фили́стерство
- меща́нство (meščánstvo)philistinism
- фили́стерство (filísterstvo)philistinism
Cite this entry
philistinism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/philistinism
“philistinism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/philistinism. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “philistinism,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/philistinism.
Source: philistinism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.