Added 9 October 2026
highbrow
adjective
First recorded: 1875 Wiktionary
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). More about highbrow at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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Intellectually stimulating, highly cultured, sophisticated.
highbrow entertainment
noun
Origin
A compound of the words high + 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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)