highbrow
adjective, noun
Forms highbrows
- adjective (sometimes derogatory) Intellectually stimulating, highly cultured, sophisticated. “highbrow entertainment”
- noun (sometimes derogatory) A cultured or learned person or thing.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
A compound of the words high + brow, first recorded usage in 1875. Referring to the (by that time discredited) science of phrenology, which suggested that a person of intelligence and sophistication would possess a higher brow-line than someone of lesser intelligence and sophistication.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “highbrow”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details