English Explanatory Dictionary

hoi polloi

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The common people; the masses. (Used with or without the definite article.)
  2. The elite.

Pronunciation

/ˈhɔɪ pəˌlɔɪ/ en-us-hoi polloi.ogg en-au-hoi polloi.ogg

Word forms

hoi polloi polloi

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek οἱ πολλοί (hoi polloí, “the many”).

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

elite
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