Standard Lemma guide

commoner

adj · noun · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈkɒm.ə.nə(ɹ)/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈkɑ.mə.nɚ/
  • CMU ARPABET: K AA1 M AH0 N ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

comparative form of common: more common

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: comparative, form-of

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A member of the common people who holds no title or rank.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Someone who is not of noble rank.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A student who is not dependent on any foundation for support, but pays all university charges.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, obsolete

Qualifier: Oxford University

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pensioner

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Someone who has a right over another's land. They hold common rights because of residence or land ownership in a particular manor, especially rights on common land. eg: centuries-old grazing rights

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

One sharing with another in anything.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A prostitute.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

a rankless or average player in Tycoon; not the tycoon, rich, poor, or beggar.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: card-games, games

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

a person who holds no title

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: common man, common person

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: person, individual, someone, somebody, mortal, soul

Narrower terms: bourgeois, burgher, cipher, cypher, nobody, nonentity, everyman, John Doe, Joe Blow, Joe Bloggs, man in the street, layman, layperson, secular, plebeian, pleb, proletarian, prole, worker, rustic

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mey- Proto-Indo-European *ḱom-moy-ni-s Proto-Italic *kommoinis Old Latin comoinis Latin commūnis Anglo-Norman comunbor. Middle English comun English common Proto-Indo-European *-yōs Proto-Germanic *-izô Proto-West Germanic *-iʀō Proto-Germanic *-ōzô Proto-West Germanic *-ōʀō Old English -ra Middle English -ere English -er English commoner From common + -er (comparative suffix).

From Middle English comoner, comyner, cumuner, equivalent to common + -er.

Across languages

Translations

77 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: ռամիկ (ṙamik) — member of the common people
  • Belarusian: прасталюдзі́н (prastaljudzín) — member of the common people
  • Catalan: plebeu — member of the common people
  • Catalan: plebea — member of the common people
  • Chinese Mandarin: 庶民 (shùmín) — member of the common people
  • Chinese Mandarin: 平民 (píngmín) — member of the common people
  • Old Czech: chlap — member of the common people
  • Egyptian: n:D-s-nDs-A1 (nḏs) — member of the common people
  • Finnish: rahvas — member of the common people
  • French: roturier — member of the common people
  • French: homme du peuple — member of the common people
  • French: plébéien — member of the common people
  • Galician: peiteiro — member of the common people
  • Galician: plebeo — member of the common people
  • Galician: plebea — member of the common people
  • German: Gemeiner — member of the common people
  • German: Plebejer — member of the common people
  • German: Angehöriger des gemeinen Volkes — member of the common people
  • Hawaiian: makaʻāinana — member of the common people
  • Icelandic: almúgamaður — member of the common people
  • Indonesian: orang awam — member of the common people
  • Indonesian: rakyat biasa — member of the common people
  • Indonesian: rakyat umum — member of the common people
  • Italian: plebeo — member of the common people
  • Japanese: 庶民 (shomin) — member of the common people
  • Japanese: 平民 (heimin) — member of the common people
  • Korean: 서민 (seomin) — member of the common people
  • Korean: 평민 (pyeongmin) — member of the common people
  • Latin: plēbēius — member of the common people
  • Latin: plēbs — member of the common people
  • Māori: tautauhea — member of the common people
  • Māori: tautauwhea — member of the common people
  • Māori: kāraroraro — member of the common people
  • Māori: tūtūā — member of the common people
  • Māori: marahea — member of the common people
  • Mongolian: ᠡᠭᠡᠯ ᠠᠷᠠᠳ (egel arad) — member of the common people
  • Mongolian: ᠡᠩ ᠦᠨ ᠠᠷᠠᠳ (eng-ün arad) — member of the common people
  • Mongolian: ᠠᠷᠠᠳ (arad) — member of the common people
  • Mongolian: ᠢᠷᠭᠡᠨ (irgen) — member of the common people
  • Mongolian: эгэл ард (egel ard) — member of the common people
  • Mongolian: энгийн ард (engiin ard) — member of the common people
  • Mongolian: ард (ard) — member of the common people
  • Mongolian: иргэн (irgen) — member of the common people
  • Polish: plebejusz — member of the common people
  • Polish: plebejuszka — member of the common people
  • Polish: plebejka — member of the common people
  • Portuguese: plebeu — member of the common people
  • Russian: простолюди́н (prostoljudín) — member of the common people
  • Russian: простолюди́нка (prostoljudínka) — member of the common people
  • Russian: плебе́й (plebéj) — member of the common people
  • Russian: плебе́йка (plebéjka) — member of the common people
  • Samoan: tagata taatele — member of the common people
  • Spanish: plebeyo — member of the common people
  • Spanish: comunero — member of the common people
  • Thai: สามัญชน (sǎa-man-chon) — member of the common people
  • Thai: ไพร่ (prâi) — member of the common people
  • Thai: ปุถุชน — member of the common people
  • Ukrainian: просто́людин (prostóljudyn) — member of the common people
  • Ukrainian: простолю́дин (prostoljúdyn) — member of the common people
  • Ukrainian: просто́людець (prostóljudecʹ) — member of the common people
  • Ukrainian: простолю́дець (prostoljúdecʹ) — member of the common people
  • Urdu: عام لوگ ('ām log) — member of the common people
  • Vietnamese: dân thường — member of the common people
  • Vietnamese: thường dân — member of the common people
  • Finnish: aateliton — someone not of noble rank
  • German: Bürgerlicher — someone not of noble rank
  • German: Bürger — someone not of noble rank
  • Indonesian: jelata — someone not of noble rank
  • Japanese: 平民 (heimin) — someone not of noble rank
  • Latin: plēbēius — someone not of noble rank
  • Latin: plēbs — someone not of noble rank
  • Polish: osoba z ludu — someone not of noble rank
  • Portuguese: plebeu — someone not of noble rank
  • Samoan: faamolemole — someone not of noble rank
  • Swedish: ofrälse — someone not of noble rank
  • Thai: สามัญชน (sǎa-man-chon) — someone not of noble rank
  • Thai: ไพร่ (prâi) — someone not of noble rank