HIGHBROW Synonyms: 92 Similar and Opposite Words

highbrow 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of highbrow

as in intellectual

much given to learning and thinking finally, a TV series that appeals to a highbrow audience

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

highbrow

2 of 2

noun

ˈhī-ˌbrau̇

as in nerd

a person with strong intellectual interests guests at her elegant dinner parties are a mix of the city's highbrows and captains of industry

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of highbrow

Adjective

After all, The Odyssey’s initial success has both a highbrow and a lowbrow element to it. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 23 July 2026 On the Approval Matrix, on this particular night, The Bear is smack in the middle of highbrow and lowbrow, and fully on the side of brilliant, with no hints of the despicable. — Jen Chaney, Vulture, 26 June 2026

Noun

The roll call of films ranges from the highbrow to the decidedly grungy, the menu of a true movie fanatic. — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2023 Tár is its highbrow counterpart, teasing and celebrating the same personal crisis and class issues. — Armond White, National Review, 27 Jan. 2023 See All Example Sentences for highbrow

Recent Examples of Synonyms for highbrow

Adjective

Plath is shown not as a passive victim of despair, but as a brilliant intellectual and visionary poet.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 16 Oct. 2026
In the process, Hall, Woodford, and other scholars helped breathe new life into the ideas of economics giant John Maynard Keynes, whose intellectual legacy, for a time, seemed in danger of melting away.

— Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of intellectual

Adjective

If the source is a scholarly journal article, the article’s title appears in a larger font above the additional bibliographic information.

— The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 9 Oct. 2026
Generating scholarly tomes at a rate of more than one a year involves obsessive amounts of research.

— Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of scholarly

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highbred

highbrow

highbrowed

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“Highbrow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/highbrow. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of highbrow

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

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