Phrase guide

great unwashed

noun · 1 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

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  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌɡɹeɪt ʌnˈwɒʃt/
  • US: /ˌɡɹeɪt ʌnˈwɔːʃt/
  • US: /ˌɡɹeɪt ʌnˈwɑːʃt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The general populace, particularly the working class.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: derogatory, idiomatic, plural, plural-only

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hoi polloi, unwashed masses, great unhosed, canaille, commonality, commonalty, crowd, demos, everyone, general public, great unwashed, herd, lower class, many, masses, mob, multitude, odds and sods, peasantry, plebs, populace, proletariat, rabble, rank and file, riffraff, third estate, trash, unwashed, working class

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Though attributed by many to Edmund Burke, the first published use of the phrase was by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in a dedicatory epistle for 1830, Paul Clifford.

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: vulgum pecus — a contemptuous term for the populace, particularly the working class
  • Polish: buractwo — a contemptuous term for the populace, particularly the working class
  • Polish: tłuszcza — a contemptuous term for the populace, particularly the working class
  • Romanian: vulg — a contemptuous term for the populace, particularly the working class
  • Romanian: prostime — a contemptuous term for the populace, particularly the working class
  • Swedish: kreti och pleti — a contemptuous term for the populace, particularly the working class