highbrow

Etymology

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.

adj

  1. (sometimes derogatory) Intellectually stimulating, highly cultured, sophisticated.
    highbrow entertainment

noun

  1. (sometimes derogatory) A cultured or learned person or thing.
    Coordinate term: middlebrow

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