noun · 3 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.
UK:/ˈpɒpjʊləs/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:päpʹyə-ləs
US:/ˈpɑpjələs/
South-Asia:/ˈpɔp(j)ʊles/
homophone: populous (most accents)
CMU ARPABET:P AA1 P Y AH0 L AH0 S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The common people of a nation.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
The populace despised their ignorant leader.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The inhabitants of a country or one of its administrative divisions (such as a state, province, or county).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
people in general considered as a whole
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
he is a hero in the eyes of the public
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: public, world
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: people
Narrower terms: admass
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French populace, from Italian popolaccio, from popolo + -accio (“pejorative suffix”), from Latin populus.
Across languages
Translations
50 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
جُمْهُور
(jumhūr)
— common people
Arabic:
جَمَاهِير
(jamāhīr)
— common people
Arabic:
عَوَامّ
(ʕawāmm)
— common people
Catalan:
poble
— common people
Chinese Mandarin:
民眾 /民众
(mínzhòng)
— common people
Chinese Mandarin:
齊民 /齐民
(qímín)
— common people
Chinese Mandarin:
庶民
(shùmín)
— common people
Dutch:
plebs
— common people
Esperanto:
popolamaso
— common people
Finnish:
kansa
— common people
Finnish:
rahvas
— common people
French:
bas peuple
— common people
French:
plèbe
— common people
French:
populace
— common people
German:
gemeine Volk
— common people
German:
breite Masse
— common people
German:
Pöbel
— common people
Hindi:
जनता
(jantā)
— common people
Hindi:
अवाम
(avām)
— common people
Hindi:
जमहूर
(jamhūr)
— common people
Italian:
pubblico
— common people
Italian:
popolo
— common people
Japanese:
民衆
(minshū)
— common people
Japanese:
大衆
(taishū)
— common people
Japanese:
庶民
(shomin)
— common people
Korean:
민중
(minjung)
— common people
Korean:
대중
(daejung)
— common people
Korean:
서민
(seomin)
— common people
Northern Kurdish:
xelk
— common people
Latin:
populus
— common people
Malayalam:
ജനം
(janaṁ)
— common people
Iranian Persian:
جُمْهور
(jomhur)
— common people
Iranian Persian:
عَوام
(avâm)
— common people
Plautdietsch:
Bevelkjarunk
— common people
Portuguese:
povão
— common people
Portuguese:
povo
— common people
Punjabi:
ਜਨਤਾ
(jantā)
— common people
Russian:
просто́й наро́д
(prostój naród)
— common people
Russian:
ма́ссы
(mássy)
— common people
Russian:
простонаро́дье
(prostonaródʹje)
— common people
