highbrow

[hahy-brou]

noun

1. a person of superior intellectual interests and tastes.

2. a person with intellectual or cultural pretensions; intellectual snob.

3. the crestfish.

adjective

1. Also highbrowed of, relating to, or characteristic of a highbrow.

   Synonyms: pseudointellectual, snobbish, bookish, cultured, scholarly, intellectual

highbrow

/ ˈhaɪˌbraʊ /

noun

1. a person of scholarly and erudite tastes

adjective

1. appealing to highbrows

   highbrow literature

Other Word Forms

• highbrowism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of highbrow¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; high + brow

Example Sentences

Aster’s breakout debut, “Hereditary,” gave him an overnight pedigree as the princeling of highbrow horror films about trauma.

From Los Angeles Times

It's the little cues that make “Poker Face” a TV comfort quilt, joining highbrow humor and an accessible tone, with Lyonne’s benevolent energy and rumpled chic holding it all together.

From Salon

Still, his research revealed a fascinating throughline: the line between highbrow and lowbrow cuisine has always been blurry, and gelatin salads are a perfect case study.

From Salon

Some literary types worried that TV and books were somehow at odds, that her tastes weren’t highbrow enough.

From Los Angeles Times

The notice came from a Seattle venue best known for being the home of our local ballet and opera companies, a place that generally programs highbrow acts.

From Salon

Related Words

• cerebral 
• scholarly