English Explanatory Dictionary

great unwashed

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The general populace, particularly the working class.

Pronunciation

/ˌɡɹeɪt ʌnˈwɒʃt/ /ˌɡɹeɪt ʌnˈwɔːʃt/ /ˌɡɹeɪt ʌnˈwɑːʃt/ en-us-great unwashed.ogg en-au-great unwashed.ogg

Word forms

great unwashed

Etymology

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.

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
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