What does "philistine" mean?
Philistine: A bailiff. [Cant, Eng.] [Obs.] Swift.
Additional senses
- 2.A person deficient in liberal culture and refinement; one without appreciation of the nobler aspirations and sentiments of humanity; one whose scope is limited to selfish and material interests. [Recent] M. Arnold.
- 3.Of or pertaining to the Philistines.
- 4.Uncultured; commonplace.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00