average Joe
Typical ordinary person
An average Joe is an ordinary, unremarkable man—someone without special status, wealth, or distinction.
The phrase emphasizes commonness and typicality: The policy affects average Joes more than the wealthy.
It can be self-deprecating or populist, positioning someone as relatable rather than elite.
Sometimes spelled as one word or hyphenated. (Lowercase average joe is a variant spelling.)
Commonplace, lacking excitement
- prosaicLacking imagination or excitement
- pedestrianOne traveling afoot
- quotidianOccurring every day
- humdrumLacking variety or excitement
workaday · garden-variety · vanilla · generic · plain · unexceptional · run-of-the-mill · nondescript
Fundamentally good, dependable person
- blue-collarManual labor workforce
- working-classManual laborers as group
- grassrootsCommon people as political base
- rank-and-fileOrdinary organization members
everywoman · John Doe · common man · layperson · commoner · townsfolk · citizenry
Dominant cultural current
- conventionalFollowing accepted practices
- representativeOne who acts for another
- suburbanOf residential outskirts
- middle-classIntermediate socioeconomic group
Practical and without pretension
- approachableEasy to engage with
- unpretentiousLacking false superiority
- unassumingNot making claims
- accessibleAble to be reached
familiar · genuine · authentic · personable · affable · neighborly · next-door · homespun
mundane
Commonplace, lacking excitement
- prosaicLacking imagination or excitement
- pedestrianOne traveling afoot
- quotidianOccurring every day
humdrum · workaday · garden-variety · vanilla · generic · plain · unexceptional · run-of-the-mill · nondescript · unremarkable
salt-of-the-earth
Fundamentally good, dependable person
- blue-collarManual labor workforce
- working-classManual laborers as group
- grassrootsCommon people as political base
rank-and-file · everywoman · John Doe · common man · layperson · commoner · townsfolk · citizenry
mainstream
Dominant cultural current
- conventionalFollowing accepted practices
- representativeOne who acts for another
- suburbanOf residential outskirts
middle-class · normal · standard · typical · usual
down-to-earth
Practical and without pretension
- approachableEasy to engage with
- unpretentiousLacking false superiority
- unassumingNot making claims
accessible · familiar · genuine · authentic · personable · affable · neighborly · next-door · homespun · humble
- Everymaneveryman, common man, regular guy, John Doe, John Q. Public
- placeholder peopleJohn Doe, Jane Doe, everyman, Alice, Bob
- social conformityconformist, peer pressure, herd mentality, groupthink, follow the crowd
- placeholdersplaceholder, bar, blank, dummy, filler
average Joecelebrity
Widely recognized public figure
star · household name · public figure · A-lister · superstar
average JoeVIP
Notable, for short
elite · aristocrat · one-percenter · big shot · mover and shaker
average, averaging, Joseph, averaged, Joe, averageness, averagely