PHILISTINISM Synonyms: 22 Similar and Opposite Words

philistinism

noun

as in idiocy

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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 philistinism Fascism lives in the upside-down; professional gaslighting features heavily amongst its weaponry, along with the blinking philistinism of the soulless. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 14 June 2026 Despite such official philistinism, Proust had already left an enduring mark on Irish letters and would remain a source of literary inspiration for the nation’s writers into the twenty-first century. — Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for philistinism

Noun

There's always been an element of complete idiocy in the culture.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
Forty years on, Spy magazine is best remembered, not unjustly, as the first entity to call out Trump for his tackiness, villainy, and arrant idiocy.

— David Kamp, Air Mail, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of idiocy

Noun

The first 10 minutes are an incredible swirl of paranoia, alcoholism, and sluggish dumbness when Gould just needs to feed his cat.

— Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026
Unlike its sibling concepts of dumbness and idiocy, stupidity isn’t really a personality trait.

— Jonny Thomson, Big Think, 11 Feb. 2026

Definition of dumbness

Noun

Learning that countless more people will lose their lives on account of his neglect, greed, and stupidity, he is pressed, reluctantly, into a most self-serving mode of damage control.

— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026
Nerdiest song for drummers This will probably come down to stupidity.

— Devon Ivie, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of stupidity

Noun

There’s the White House and its malicious megaphone of mindlessness; the generative AI advocates and their pushy, pathetic ploys; the Major League Baseball owners and their dedication to self-destruction.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 Feb. 2026
The show’s real villain is mindlessness, in other words.

— Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026

Definition of mindlessness

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philistines

philistinism

philosopher

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

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Synonyms of philistinism

noun

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