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
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
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Recent Examples of highbrow
Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
And well before Telluride co-founder Tom Luddy’s death in 2023, Huntsinger has been flying solo and booking a strong lineup of highbrow awards contenders, classics, and idiosyncratic discoveries.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2025
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
Adjective
That combination of highbrow admiration and crowd-pleasing shocks is a treasured feat in horror.
—Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
And well before Telluride co-founder Tom Luddy’s death in 2023, Huntsinger has been flying solo and booking a strong lineup of highbrow awards contenders, classics, and idiosyncratic discoveries.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2025
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
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Another way this week may affect you is in relation to intellectual pursuits, communication projects or contracts.—
Kyle Thomas,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
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D’Annunzio jeers at her delusional belief that Il Duce will fund her dream project of a theater not for the wealthy cultural and intellectual elite, but for the Great War’s widows, orphans and veterans.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Bouton was finally given the green light after a round of tests and X-rays in February confirmed the improved condition of her spine and an MRI revealed less cerebral fluid near her spine.—
Dave Melton,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Sep. 2025
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Meanwhile, Voisin gives a cerebral performance of a man who occupies and contributes to a thrillingly tactile space while his antennae are attuned to another realm entirely.—
Sophie Monks Kaufman,
IndieWire,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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As astronomy embraced mathematics and observation during the Scientific Revolution, astrology increasingly lost its scholarly legitimacy and was pushed to the margins.—
Christopher P. Scheitle,
The Conversation,
5 Sep. 2025
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Joshi says teachers also tend to be a vocal crowd that isn’t shy about sharing their scholarly opinions.—
John Kell,
Fortune,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Highbrow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/highbrow. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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