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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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 But White also understood that holding children’s literature to high standards did not necessarily demand a highbrow approach. — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 12 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

The nastiness of intellectual disputes, therefore, depends in part on how people frame their positions.

— Andras Molnar, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2026
Hershiser has enjoyed the intellectual challenge of mastering the mechanics of covering baseball for a TV audience.

— Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of intellectual

Adjective

The Actor Awards have voter crossover with the Emmys, unlike the Globes and Critics Choice, but The Diplomat is a far more SAG-friendly show than the cerebral Pluribus, which didn’t get an ensemble bid with the guild, unlike The Diplomat.

— Joyce Eng, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026
The autopsy also found Martinez suffered pulmonary and mild cerebral edema, a potentially deadly condition where excess fluid accumulates in the lungs and brain.

— Perry Vandell, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of cerebral

Adjective

Katz is known for a curatorial ethos that places scholarly rigor and popular appeal on equal footing.

— News Desk, Artforum, 13 Aug. 2026
Faculty hiring and promotion should be based on scholarly merit through peer review, not political expectations imposed from Washington.

— Marybeth Gasman, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of scholarly

Browse Nearby Words

highbred

highbrow

highbrowed

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Style

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

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Synonyms of highbrow

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

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