Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PHILISTINE

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connect this word to others: Philistine is a Biblical insult, much like pharisaic. (Can you define that one?) See if you can recall an insult from ancient Greek history, a close synonym of philistine, one that means "dull, stupid, simple, and uncultured:" B___tian. Hint: we often use it in the phrase "B___tian ears." (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "PHILISTINE" In the Bible, the Philistines are a group of bad guys. They're the invaders, the "them" to our "us." And so, today, a philistine is an ignorant commoner. In other words, it's someone with common, lowbrow tastes who doesn't know or care much about arts or culture.   Pronunciation: FILL uh steen Part of speech: Noun, the countable kind: "this philistine," "they're a bunch of philistines." Other forms: "Philistine" is also an adjective: "their philistine tastes," "that philistine urban legend." Alternate adjectives are "philistinic," "philistinian," and the beastly-looking "philistinish." The adverb is "philistinely." The noun for the quality of lacking culture--or for the problem itself of people's general ignorance of culture--is "philistinism." And some collective terms for philistines in general are "Philistia" and "the people of Philistia." Finally, the verb is "philistinize," meaning "to turn someone into a philistine." How to use it: If you prefer, you can treat "philistine" as a proper noun and capitalize it: "all these Philistines." Now, "philistine" can be an insulting word, so be careful if you refer to someone as a philistine, or if you talk about philistine music, movies, publications, interests, tastes, habits, manners, speech, etc. But we can use "philistine" in a lighter way, too. For example, if we refer to ourselves as fashion philistines, or art philistines or classical music philistines or whatnot, we're just mocking ourselves a bit, pointing out how clueless we are about certain topics. examples: Okay, yes, when you first met her, she was crunching on Doritos straight out of the bag and staring blankly at a daytime talk show as he interviewed a psychic. But I swear she's not a philistine. "Back then if you liked Merlot, you were a philistine. Nobody took you seriously; you were ostracized."    — Rex Pickett, as quoted by Kirsten Telander, Salon, 8 July 2018 has this page helped you understand "philistine"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "philistine" without saying "unrefined" or "uncultured." try it out: Fill in the blank: "Only a philistine would _____." Serious example: "Only a philistine would laugh at this sitcom's dialogue, so crass and unoriginal." Lighthearted example: "Only a philistine would drink red wine chilled, on ice, through a straw. I guess I'm a philistine." If you like, use this space to draft your sentence. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) before you review, play: Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first. Our game this month is Distinctive Definitions. We're taking a scenic slog through poetic and philosophical definitions, wading through similes, metaphors, personifications, hyperboles, grandiloquence, and cheesiness.  In each issue, consider a definition provided by a poet, a writer, or a philosopher, and see if you can name the definiendum: the thing or concept being defined. (Is it life, love, time, death, music, sleep, pain, laughter, bubblegum, stubbing your toe…???) For example, James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) said, "What men call ________ and the Gods call dross." He’s defining something—what is it? "Treasure." Now, you can play this game in earnest, trying to think of what the poet actually wrote--or you can play it for laughs, supplying the silliest or most sarcastic answer you can muster.  To take the silliness to the next level, gather your friends or family, deal each person a hand of cards from your copy of Apples to Apples (great for kids) or Cards Against Humanity (not for kids!!), and enjoy the ensuing hilarity. (In these games, players take turns being the judge for each round, picking the funniest from everyone’s submissions.) "What men call stretch limos and the Gods call dross." "What men call Morgan Freeman's voice and the Gods call dross." From the previous issue: Sophocles (c 497-406 BCE) said, "_____ is always the strongest argument." Answer: The truth. Try this one today: John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn (1838-1923) said, "_____—the most seductive, the most deceiving, the most dangerous of professions." review this word: 1. One opposite of PHILISTINE is A. AMENABLE. B. METICULOUS. C. URBANE. 2. Squinting at the _____, and feeling like a philistine, I had to ask _____. A. menu .. what "Kalamata" meant B. boulders and vegetation .. where the tiger even was C. instructions .. why the manufacturer had used such a tiny font 1. C 2. A a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.