different between highbrow vs highbrowness

English

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.

Adjective

highbrow

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

   Antonym: lowbrow

   Coordinate term: middlebrow

Translations

Noun

highbrow (plural highbrows)

1. (sometimes derogatory) A cultured or learned person or thing.

   Synonyms: intellectual, scholar

   Antonym: lowbrow

   Coordinate term: middlebrow

Translations

Further reading

• “highbrow”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.
• highbrow on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• ESC, 2003. Re:highbrow, middlebrow, lowbrow, The Phrase finder.
• Robert Hendrickson, 1997. Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins (New York: Facts on File)

English

Etymology

highbrow +? -ness

Noun

highbrowness (uncountable)

1. The state or condition of being highbrow.