common people
The general populace
Common people are ordinary members of society—those without wealth, high social status, or special privilege.
The phrase often contrasts with aristocracy, elites, or ruling classes: a politician who claims to speak for the common people.
It can carry democratic pride or condescension depending on context.
- lower classLowest socioeconomic stratum
- massesBulk or populace
- plebeiansRoman lower classes
- everymanOrdinary representative person
- average JoeUnremarkable common person
Joe Sixpack · John Q. Public · man on the street · workers · folk · working class · laypeople · proletariat · tradespeople · laborers · nine to five · townsfolk · yeomen · peasants · grassroots · citizens · villeins · hoi polloi
- Everymanaverage Joe, everyman, regular Joe, regular guy, Joe Blow
- class struggleclass conflict, class warfare, class divide, class struggle, class consciousness
- commonerspeasant, peasants, serfs, serf, plebeian
- massmass, masses, bulk, body mass, atomic mass
- Dutch paintingRembrandt, Vermeer, portrait, still life, landscape
- workersworkers, employee, employees, laborer, laborers
common peoplearistocracy
Rule by hereditary elite
nobility · elite · the elite · upper class · ruling class
common peoplecelebrities
Well-known public figures
luminaries · notables · VIPs · dignitaries · famous people
common peoplerulers
Measuring straightedges; sovereigns
sovereigns · monarchs · royalty · emperors · the powers that be
people, common, community, uncommon, commons, peoples, populace, commoner, commonality