Download the app
educalingo
Search

Meaning of "hoi polloi" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD HOI POLLOI

Greek, literally: the many.
info
Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsapp
section

PRONUNCIATION OF HOI POLLOI

hoi polloi  [ˌhɔɪ pəˈlɔɪ] play
facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsapp

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF HOI POLLOI

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Hoi polloi is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES HOI POLLOI MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Hoi polloi

Hoi polloi, is an expression from Greek that means the many or, in the strictest sense, the majority. In English, it means the working class, commoners, the masses or common people in a derogatory sense. Synonyms for hoi polloi, which also express the same or similar contempt for such people, include "the great unwashed", "the plebeians" or "plebs", "the rabble", "riffraff", "the herd", "the proles" and "peons". The phrase became known to English scholars probably from Pericles' Funeral Oration, as mentioned in Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War. Pericles uses it in a positive way when praising the Athenian democracy, contrasting it with hoi oligoi, "the few" Its current English usage originated in the early 19th century, a time when it was generally accepted that one must be familiar with Greek and Latin in order to be considered well educated. The phrase was originally written in Greek letters. Knowledge of these languages served to set apart the speaker from hoi polloi in question, who were not similarly educated.

Definition of hoi polloi in the English dictionary

The definition of hoi polloi in the dictionary is the masses; common people.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH HOI POLLOI


accloy
əˈklɔɪ
alloy
ˈælɔɪ
cloy
klɔɪ
cloye
klɔɪ
coemploy
ˌkəʊɪmˈplɔɪ
deploy
dɪˈplɔɪ
disemploy
ˌdɪsɪmˈplɔɪ
employ
ɪmˈplɔɪ
kumbaloi
ˌkʊmbəˈlɔɪ
loy
lɔɪ
misemploy
ˌmɪsɪmˈplɔɪ
overcloy
ˌəʊvəˈklɔɪ
permalloy
pɜːmˈælɔɪ
ploy
plɔɪ
redeploy
ˌriːdɪˈplɔɪ
saveloy
ˈsævɪˌlɔɪ
sigloi
ˈsɪɡlɔɪ
superalloy
ˈsuːpərˌælɔɪ
tholoi
ˈθəʊlɔɪ
zircalloy
zɜːkˈælɔɪ

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE HOI POLLOI

hogweed
Hogwood
hoha
Hohenlinden
Hohenlohe
Hohenstaufen
Hohenzollern
Hohhot
hoick
hoicks
hoiden
hoidenish
hoidenishness
hoisin
hoist
hoist with one´s own petard
hoister
hoistman
hoistway
hoity-toity

WORDS THAT END LIKE HOI POLLOI

boi
borzoi
Charleroi
envoi
Hanoi
je ne sais quoi
kikoi
koi
mauvaise foi
mooi
naoi
nomoi
octroi
oi
pak choi
poi
renvoi
toitoi
topoi
waterzooi

Synonyms and antonyms of hoi polloi in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «HOI POLLOI»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «hoi polloi» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of hoi polloi

Translation of «hoi polloi» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF HOI POLLOI

Find out the translation of hoi polloi to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of hoi polloi from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «hoi polloi» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

海polloi
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

plebe
570 millions of speakers

English

hoi polloi
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

होई polloi
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

الجماهير العامة
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

простонародье
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

plebe
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

হও পোঃ পোঃ
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

gens du commun
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Hoi polloi
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Pöbel
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

大衆
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

호이 까지는 서민들을 겨냥
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Hoi polloi
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

hoi polloi
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

Hoi polloi
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

होई पोरोई
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Hoi Polloi
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

volgo
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

hoi polloi
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

простолюдді
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

hoi polloi
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

λαουτζίκος
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

Haai polloi
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

hoi polloi
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

hoi polloi
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of hoi polloi

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «HOI POLLOI»

The term «hoi polloi» is regularly used and occupies the 79.230 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
63
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «hoi polloi» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of hoi polloi
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «hoi polloi».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «HOI POLLOI» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «hoi polloi» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «hoi polloi» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about hoi polloi

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «HOI POLLOI»

Discover the use of hoi polloi in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to hoi polloi and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Hoi Polloi
Heels uses “Hoi Polloi” incorrectly. I've looked up the definition and it clearly states that it's of Greek origin and means The Common People, not the upper crust as she uses it. Nonsense, she argues. We're not in Greece, we're in Australia, and ...
Craig Sherborne, 2011
2
Hoi Polloi: A Literary Journal for the Rest of Us
The book encourages the 'writer in all of us' to become engaged in literary pursuits.
Robert McNulty Editor, 2007
3
The American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style
Hoi polloi is a Greek phrase that means "the masses," and so etymologically speaking it is used correctly in a sentence such as Stars who had arrived in stretch li- mos were elbow-to-elbow with the hoi polloi who had come on the subway.
Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005
4
The Oxford Dictionary of Difficult Words
adj. awkward or clumsy: his hobbledehoy hands. hodge•podge |ehäjfpäj| (Brit. hotchpotch) • n. [in sing.] a confused mixture: a hodgepodge of modern furniture and antiques. hoi pol•loi |ehoi p/floi| •plural n. (usu. the hoi polloi) the masses; ...
Archie Hobson, 2004
5
No Uncertain Terms: More Writing from the Popular "On ...
In a line about the pronunciation of status, I wrote, “That is usually pronounced STATus, as in statistics, by the highfalutin, and STATE-us by the hoi polloi.” From Jim Tart of Dallas: “My daughter Katie tells me that her eighth- grade teacher ...
William Safire, 2003
6
Political Dissent in Democratic Athens: Intellectual Critics ...
... knowledge of the many as a mass. The key shift is in the status of the highly charged term hoi polloi: "many of you" have heard Socrates and should inform your fellow citizens of what you know of him in order to falsify the slanderous claims ...
Josiah Ober, 2001
7
Robertson's Words for a Modern Age: A Cross Reference of ...
h.l. (hoc loco, in this place) hoc loco (h.l., in this place) hoc titulo (ht, in, or under, this title) hoi polloi (Gk., the many) A term applied to the masses, the common, ordinary people. The is not needed in front of hoi polloi, because hoi means the.
John G. Robertson, 1991
8
Mesoamerican Elites: An Archaeological Assessment
... not) be avoided, and a definitive understanding of this center's aristocracy will require input from epigraphers and Distinguishing the High and Mighty from the Hoi Polloi at Tikal, Guatemala William A Haviland and Hattula Moholy-Nagy.
Diane Z. Chase, Arlen F. Chase, 2003
9
Remembering Heraclitus
tarianism. According to Popper, the elitism inherent in the fragments gave strength to those (the self-styled aristoi) who would seize control of political power and dictate to the Many (hoi polloi). Popper saw in Hitler the grim results of this elitism.
Richard G. Geldard, 2000
10
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
He hoicked up his trousers. the hoi polloi /oa.hai.pa'bi/ plural noun disapproving or humorous ordinary people: Anthony will be in the VIP lounge where he doesn t have to mix with the hoi polloi. hoist /hoist/ ▻ verb [T] 1 to lift something heavy, ...
‎2008

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «HOI POLLOI»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term hoi polloi is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Lewis Hamilton's Royal Box snub proves Wimbledon is more …
... whether it be the stark demarcation lines that separate the high-rollers from the hoi polloi at Ascot or the breathtaking pretension of Henley's ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Jul 15»
2
Auntie, why are you so scared of change? | British politics | TV and …
Out of touch with modernity, they'll tell you, the hoi polloi now distracts itself with strange conspiracies. All of this is richly ironic, for all this can ... «Spiked, Jul 15»
3
Swimming through Philly, one public pool at a time | Arts and Culture …
... where we were basking in community love, there's a much fancier private pool where the wealthy don't have to share water with us hoi polloi. «PW-Philadelphia Weekly, Jul 15»
4
How Indian netas try to convince themselves that they are a cut …
When you don't, it can be disconcerting for netas. For how else can they tell themselves from the hoi polloi, the great unwashed and unelected? «Scroll.in, Jul 15»
5
Amazon, Walmart (Et Al.) Lure Shoppers With 'Black Friday In July …
And if you missed Michael Jackson's “Thriller” the first time around, it's a $4.99 download for Prime members ($5.99 for the hoi polloi). «MediaPost Communications, Jul 15»
6
Shanghai Disneyland Unveils New Attractions, Live Shows - I4U News
The utter fizzy calories of fun and fantasy that the hoi polloi will take in will serve to relax and rejuvenate their five senses completely and ... «I4U News, Jul 15»
7
Don't mess with Grace Mugabe – she could be the next president of …
I had a strong feeling that she was almost trying to make herself a royal figure, slightly distanced from the hoi polloi. She's been quite good at reinventing herself. «The Zimbabwe Daily, Jul 15»
8
Delta's secret VIP service picks up celebs on the tarmac
Naturally, they then board the plane before the hoi polloi. Founder and president of Airfarewatchdog.com George Hobica is a travel expert who ... «Fortune, Jul 15»
9
The New Clean Look at P&G
The dividends will be a boon to hoi polloi investors (don't take offense; I come from a long line of Pollois). But remain watchful. Too much of a ... «Dividend.com, Jul 15»
10
The 'degrees are useless' theory is fine if you're posh, assertive and …
Why waste time with the general hoi polloi, stuck in sweaty seminars and over-subscribed libraries, when one could parachute – aged just 18 ... «The Independent, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Hoi polloi [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/hoi-polloi>. May 2024 ».
Download the educalingo app
en
English dictionary
Discover all that is hidden in the words on
index
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z