highbrow

English

Etymology

From a compound of the words high and 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.

Adjective

Wikipedia

highbrow (not comparable)

1. (US, colloquial) Intellectually stimulating, highly cultured.

Antonyms

• lowbrow

Translations

Translations

• Irish: ardnósach (ga)
• Italian: intellettuale (it), (pejorative) intellettualoide (it)

• Manx: ard-inçhynagh (gv)
• Spanish: intelectual (es), culturado (es), élite (es)

Noun

highbrow (plural highbrows)

1. A cultured or learned person or thing.

Related terms

• lowbrow
• middlebrow

References

• ESC, 2003. Re:highbrow, middlebrow, lowbrow, The Phrase finder.
• Robert Hendrickson, 1997. Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins (New York: Facts on File)