Phrase guide

unwashed masses

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.

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Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The collective group of people who are considered to be uneducated, uninformed, or in some other way unqualified for inclusion in the speaker's elite circles.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: derogatory, plural, plural-only

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

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

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.