philistine
Phi·list·ine/ˈfɪlɪˌstaɪn/noun, adjective
philistine is spelled P-H-I-L-I-S-T-I-N-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables (Phi·list·ine). It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 48,230th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a derogatory noun, philistine means “A person who is ignorant or uneducated; specifically, a person who lacks appreciation of or is antagonistic towards art or culture, and who has…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of philistine is philistines; Wiktionary also lists Philistim (archaic).
How many letters and syllables are in philistine?
| Letters | 10: P-H-I-L-I-S-T-I-N-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: Phi·list·ine |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 48,230th 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 philistine?
Philistine appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 48,230th 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 philistine?
- UK /ˈfɪlɪstaɪn/
- US /ˈfɪlɪˌstaɪn/
- US /-lə-/
Philistine has 3 syllables, split Phi·list·ine in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-I_learned_some_phrases-philistine.wav, En-us-Philistine.ogg, En-us-Philistine-3.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of philistine
- philistines plural
- more philistine comparative
- most philistine superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does philistine mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
derogatoryA person who is ignorant or uneducated; specifically, a person who lacks appreciation of or is antagonistic towards art or culture, and who has pedestrian tastes.
adjective
- 1
derogatoryIgnorant or uneducated; specifically, lacking appreciation for or antagonistic towards art or culture, and having pedestrian tastes.
noun
- 1
A non-Semitic person from ancient Philistia, a region in the southwest Levant in the Middle East.
- 2
An opponent (of the speaker, writer, etc); an enemy, a foe.
- 3
In German universities: a person not associated with the university; a non-academic or non-student; a townsperson.
- 4
Alternative letter-case form of philistine (“a person who is ignorant or uneducated; specifically, a person who lacks appreciation of or is antagonistic towards art or culture, and who has pedestrian tastes”).
It is Shakespearean, you Philistine!
adjective
- 1
Originating from ancient Philistia; of or pertaining to the ancient Philistines.
- 2
Alternative letter-case form of philistine (“ignorant or uneducated; specifically, lacking appreciation for or antagonistic towards art or culture, and having pedestrian tastes”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Philistine in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | Philistin, Philistine , philistin, philistine, béotien, béotienne |
| German | Philister, Philisterin , Banause, Banausin, Barbar, Barbarin |
| Portuguese | filisteu, filisteia , burguês |
| Spanish | filisteo, filistea |
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.