the masses
The common folk
The masses refers to ordinary people as a group, especially when contrasted with elites, leaders, or the privileged classes.
The term carries political undertones, often appearing in discussions of democracy, revolution, or class struggle.
Politicians claim to speak for the masses.
It can be neutral or slightly dismissive depending on context—sometimes implying the common people deserve representation, other times suggesting an undifferentiated crowd lacking sophistication or individual distinction.
- commonersOrdinary citizens, untitled
- ordinary folkAverage, unremarkable citizens
- everyday peopleAverage, unremarkable citizens
- plebeiansRoman lower classes
- populaceInhabitants of a place
man on the street · working class · proletariat · laypeople · blue-collar workers · rank and file · crowd · grassroots · ninety-nine percent · populism · class struggle · multitude · majority · demos · solidarity · salt of the earth · third estate · wage earners
- populacecommon folk, ordinary people, general public, hoi polloi, everyman
the massesthe elite
Most powerful group
the upper class · high society · the one percent · blue bloods · the powers that be
the massesthe powers that be
Those holding institutional authority
the elite · decision-makers · power brokers · kingmakers · movers and shakers
the massesthe few
Small select group
luminaries · notables · tastemakers · thought leaders · celebrities
mass, massive, masses, massed, massing, massively, biomass, massiveness, en masse