philistine
noun/ˈfɪlɪstaɪn/
/ˈfɪlɪstiːn/
(disapproving)- a person who does not like or understand art, literature, music, etc.
- In artistic matters he’s a complete philistine.
- She dismissed critics of her work as philistines.
Word Originfrom French Philistin, via late Latin from Greek Philistinos, from Hebrew pělištī. The current sense arose as a result of a confrontation between town and gown in Jena, Germany, in the late 17th cent.; a sermon on the conflict quoted from the Bible: “the Philistines are upon you” (Judges 16), which led to an association between the townspeople and those hostile to culture.Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
Check pronunciation:
philistine