lacking culture or taste narrow-minded; smugly conventional lacking in, hostile to, or smugly indifferent to cultural and artistic values or refinements smugly ignorant of artistic or intellectual qualities refined, cultivated, esthete, highbrow hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts. à¦¸à¦à§à¦à§à¦°à§à¦£à¦à¦¨à¦¾ à¦¬à§à¦¯à¦à§à¦¤à¦¿ philistine à¦¸à§à¦¶à¦¿à¦à§à¦·à¦¾à¦¬à¦¿à¦¹à§à¦¨ à¦²à§à¦¾à¦ philistine. 1. hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts. \\"a philistine government\\". synonyms: crass, tasteless, uncultured, uncultivated, uneducated, untutored, unenlightened, unread, commercial, materialist, bourgeois, unsophisticated, unrefined; boorish, barbarian, barbarous, barbaric, primitive, savage, brutish, loutish, oafish, uncivilized, uncouth, vulgar, coarse, rough \\"a philistine effort to destroy culture\\" smug and ignorant towards artistic and cultural values. Jane considered Al completely philistine, because he talked almost exclusive about video games; she was entirely unaware of how well read he really was. This word has other definitions but . **this is the most important one for the GRE. Definition of Philistine one who focuses on materialistic pursuits and has no appreciation of culture and art Examples of Philistine in a sentence Only a philistine would destroy such a priceless portrait! When the philistine was questioned about his opinion of the school\\'s art program, he stated it was a waste of taxpayers\\' dollars. Jack is a philistine who unknowingly sold a vase valued at over a hundred thousand dollars for twenty bucks. Because Steve is a philistine, he thinks potted meat is a gourmet dinner. Even Mark, the philistine that he is, could not help but be captivated by the Sistine Chapel.