From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishphilistinephil‧is‧tine /ˈfɪləstaɪn $ -stiːn/ noun [countable] ART/CULTUREsomeone who does not like or understand art, literature, music etc When it comes to art, the man’s a philistine. —philistine adjective —philistinism noun [uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
philistine• I wouldn't expect a philistine like you to understand my paintings.• She says she's a bit of a philistine and doesn't know much about rowing, but hopes to find out.• Birmingham is still declaimed as smoky, grimy, unpleasant and philistine.• The American desire for material goods caused Europeans to dismiss them as philistines.• The ball diamond was a sanctuary not to be broken into by philistines.• Certainly she was no philistine, but a graphic artist herself.• When will there be an end to the philistine approach of the Government who apply a cornershop philosophy to the arts?PhilistinePhilistine noun in the Bible, a member of a race of people who lived in Palestine, and who were the enemies of the IsraelitesOrigin philistine (1800-1900) Philistine; because the Philistines were thought by the Israelites in the Bible to be uncivilized people 