as in materialists
a person who is chiefly interested in material comfort and is hostile or indifferent to art and culture
the town's philistines who think that spending on the arts is a waste of taxpayers' money
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for philistines
Noun
-
Deep cherry red, black, and white come together to create a whimsical world of dice, cards, sad clowns, and a ticking pocketwatch.—
Samantha Brash,
InStyle,
8 Feb. 2026 -
These clowns don't even have the courage of their pathetic White supremacist convictions.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Venture capitalists and experts have previously told CNBC that these deals often leave some investors and employees in a state of limbo while founders and AI leaders get paid handsomely.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Union leaders and hotel honchos were astonished to find Mayor Newsom out on the picket line, calling out the capitalists.—
Maya Singer,
Vogue,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
His work includes the maintenance of all 20 trails, data collection, search and rescue of lost hikers, and the culling of animals that threaten Saba's ecosystem, including rats.—
Betsy Andrews,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Health advocacy groups such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest have long urged consumers to avoid products containing BHA because some studies have indicated that the chemical causes cancer in rats, mice and hamsters.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Philistines.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/philistines. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
