lowbrow
/ˈloʊbɹaʊ/adjective, noun
lowbrow is spelled L-O-W-B-R-O-W: 7 letters. It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 75,877th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, lowbrow means “Unsophisticated, not intended for an audience of intelligence, education or culture” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in lowbrow?
| Letters | 7: L-O-W-B-R-O-W |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 75,877th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is lowbrow?
Lowbrow appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 75,877th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce lowbrow?
- US /ˈloʊbɹaʊ/
- UK /ˈləʊbɹaʊ/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-lowbrow.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with lowbrow
Also written: low-brow (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of lowbrow
- more lowbrow comparative
- most lowbrow superlative
- low-brow
- lowbrows plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does lowbrow mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Unsophisticated, not intended for an audience of intelligence, education or culture.
The Three Stooges are known for their lowbrow slapstick humor consisting of foolish action for the masses.
noun
- 1
Someone or something of low education or culture.
- 2
An underground populist visual art movement that arose in the Los Angeles area in the late 1960s, inspired by comics, punk music, graffiti, etc.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Lowbrow in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | bas de plafond |
| German | niveaulos, ungebildet, banausisch , Kulturbanause |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does lowbrow come from?
A bahuvrihi compound of low + brow. An Americanism whose first use appears c. 1902. Refers to the (by that time discredited) pseudoscience of phrenology, which suggested that a person of low intelligence and sophistication would possess a lower brow-line than someone of greater intelligence and sophistication.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).