Involves

Word

Philistine

FIL-uh-steen · noun

A person dismissive of art, culture, or intellectual life, especially when judging everything by practical gain.

Examples

  • He sounded like a philistine when he asked whether a poem was worth more than its paper.

  • Disliking one exhibition does not make someone a philistine.

Origin

The modern insult derives from the name of the ancient Philistine people through later European usage, including German. It does not accurately describe that civilization.

How it connects

Philistine names a dismissal of cultural value rather than a lack of fashionable taste.

This word appeared in What your measurements leave out, the Involves connection for October 29, 2026, which asked: Can you recognize value that does not fit your preferred measure?

Check yourself

Which judgment most clearly fits the figurative sense of philistine?

All literature is worthless because it produces no immediate profit. Exactly. The dismissal of a whole sphere of value fits the word; criticism of a particular work or budget does not.

What the sources establish

  • The figurative philistine denotes hostility or indifference to cultural and intellectual values and is distinct from the historical ethnic name.

Sources