lowest common denominator
noun
2
: something of small intellectual content designed to appeal to a lowbrow audience
also
: such an audience
Examples of lowest common denominator in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The regular Quest headset is essentially the lowest common denominator—or the minimum viable product—to keep the cost down.
—
Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, 6 June 2023
The attempt at bipartisanship and gender equity was not lost on me, but the use of age as the lowest common denominator of those who support reproductive rights and fair immigration laws and those who seek to annihilate such measures struck me as inappropriately reductive.
—The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023
And so, with the new NBA season finally upon us, here is a preview of the lowest common denominator beefs that will be sure to dominate coverage this year.
—Corbin Smith, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2023
Graham’s portrait of that time — illuminated vividly by director Jason Loewith and 13 splendid actors — pinpoints a moment when rough-and-ready newspaper journalism ceased to be gleeful, turning instead into a grim search for the lowest common denominator.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2023
Unlike climate change mitigation, where success will be determined by the sum of all individual efforts, AI safety is determined by the lowest common denominator: a single breakout algorithm could cause untold damage.
—Ian Bremmer and Mustafa Suleyman, Foreign Affairs, 16 Aug. 2023
One that aims squarely at the lowest common denominator?
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Aug. 2023
That’s the catch of going viral: The lowest common denominator will always prevail at the expense of innovation and individuality.
—Umi Syam, New York Times, 7 Aug. 2023
In business, a company's reputation can often come down to the lowest common denominator, the actions of one specific individual, especially in small companies.
—George Deeb, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2022
Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, 6 June 2023
The attempt at bipartisanship and gender equity was not lost on me, but the use of age as the lowest common denominator of those who support reproductive rights and fair immigration laws and those who seek to annihilate such measures struck me as inappropriately reductive.
—The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023
And so, with the new NBA season finally upon us, here is a preview of the lowest common denominator beefs that will be sure to dominate coverage this year.
—Corbin Smith, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2023
Graham’s portrait of that time — illuminated vividly by director Jason Loewith and 13 splendid actors — pinpoints a moment when rough-and-ready newspaper journalism ceased to be gleeful, turning instead into a grim search for the lowest common denominator.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2023
Unlike climate change mitigation, where success will be determined by the sum of all individual efforts, AI safety is determined by the lowest common denominator: a single breakout algorithm could cause untold damage.
—Ian Bremmer and Mustafa Suleyman, Foreign Affairs, 16 Aug. 2023
One that aims squarely at the lowest common denominator?
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Aug. 2023
That’s the catch of going viral: The lowest common denominator will always prevail at the expense of innovation and individuality.
—Umi Syam, New York Times, 7 Aug. 2023
In business, a company's reputation can often come down to the lowest common denominator, the actions of one specific individual, especially in small companies.
—George Deeb, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lowest common denominator.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near lowest common denominator
Cite this Entry
“Lowest common denominator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lowest%20common%20denominator. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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