hoi polloi

Meaning

  1. (collective, plural, plural-only) The common people; the masses. (Used with or without the definite article.)
  2. (nonstandard, plural, plural-only) The elite.

Opposite of
elite
Synonyms

masses
C1
rabble
C2
people
A1
🧑‍🤝‍🧑

the great unwashed

commonalty
multitude
22k
riffraff
26k
mass
B1

the multitude

ordinary people

general public

Everyman

Commons
C2
canaille
volk

common people

crowd
B1
everyman
40k
folk music
herd
C1
mob
B2
pleb
unwashed
34k
Translations

plebe
populacho

όχλος

povo
🧑‍🤝‍🧑
pueblo
🏙️
gens
🧑‍🤝‍🧑
Pöbel
peuple
🧑‍🤝‍🧑
plèbe
gente
🧑‍🤝‍🧑
gente
🧑‍🤝‍🧑

μάζα

πλήθος

poble
🧑‍🤝‍🧑
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ˌhɔɪ pəˈlɔɪ/
Etymology

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek οἱ πολλοί (hoi polloí, “the many”).

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English