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Meaning of "the great unwashed" in the English dictionary

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PRONUNCIATION OF THE GREAT UNWASHED

the great unwashed play
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WHAT DOES THE GREAT UNWASHED 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.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE THE GREAT UNWASHED

the grape
the grave
the Great Bear
the Great Dog
the Great Glen
the Great Leap Forward
the Great Rebellion
the Great Trek
the Greater Antilles
the greatest
the green-eyed monster
the Grenadines
the Greys
the grid
the grim reaper
the grove of Academe
the guillotine
the Gulf
the Gulf States
the gutter

WORDS THAT END LIKE THE GREAT UNWASHED

abashed
accomplished
alewashed
dashed
distinguished
established
finished
in the shed
lashed
mashed
pebbledashed
smashed
stonewashed
storm-lashed
trashed
unabashed
uncashed
undashed
unsashed
unwashed

Synonyms and antonyms of the great unwashed in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «the great unwashed» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF THE GREAT UNWASHED

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

Translator English - Chinese

大没洗过
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

la plebe
570 millions of speakers

English

the great unwashed
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

महान मैला
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

و غير مغسولة العظيم
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

великий немытые
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

o povão
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

মহান অবাঞ্ছিত
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

la populace
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Yang besar tidak dimakan
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

der Pöbel
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

庶民
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

위대한 씻지
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Sing gedhe ora kudune
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

các cùng khổ
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

பெரிய அவிழ்த்து
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

महान unwashed
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Büyük yıkanmamış
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

il grande non lavato
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

wielki umyty
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

великий немиті
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

mare nespălați
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

η μεγάλη άπλυτα
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

die groot ongewaste
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

den stora otvättade
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

den store uvaskede
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of the great unwashed

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «THE GREAT UNWASHED»

The term «the great unwashed» is very widely used and occupies the 22.204 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
90
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «the great unwashed» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of the great unwashed
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «the great unwashed».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «THE GREAT UNWASHED» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «the great unwashed» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «the great unwashed» 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 the great unwashed

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «THE GREAT UNWASHED»

Discover the use of the great unwashed in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to the great unwashed and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
The Great Unwashed
THE. GREAT. UNWASHED. PART I. WORKING MEN. FOR a long time “the working man” was, if not the sole, at any rate the most prominent, subject of public observation and discussion; and though “ questions of the day” occasionally put him, ...
Thomas Wright, 2014
2
Safire's Political Dictionary
The 'people' were 'the Great Unwashed.' ” The phrase may have been used before that by Edmund Burke. In the U.S., political observer George Julian wrote in 1884 about the Polk-Clay race that the Whigs “insisted that ... the larger element of ...
William Safire, 2008
3
The Synonym Finder
1. general public, commonalty, common people, common folk, commoners, the people, hoi polloi; the masses, the multitude, the Four Million, the great unwashed, the great unnumbered; lower classes, proletariat, .the working class, salt of the ...
Jerome Irving Rodale, 1978
4
Plumbing: Sounding Modern Architecture
Using Loos as a point of departure, the essays in this collection examine architecture through the multiple meanings inherent in plumbing - from the pipes of modern hygiene, to the plumb line of the right angle, to Marcel Duchamp's Ready ...
Nadir Lahiji, Daniel S. Friedman, 1997
5
The Great American Awakening: Two Years That Changed ...
But because a comeuppance is due the arrogant elites whose undisguised contempt for the great unwashed prevents them from conceding a modicum of serious thought to those who dare oppose them.” How thankful I was for such good, ...
Jim DeMint, 2011
6
Paul Clifford
Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873) was an English novelist, poet, playwright, and politician.
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, Sir, 2007
7
Campaign Talk: Why Elections Are Good for Us
My survey data, as well as that gathered by others, suggest that if collected under the right conditions, letters-to-the-editor can provide a rich source of insight.9 Letter-writers do not represent the great unwashed American because the great ...
Roderick P. Hart, 2009
8
American Iconographic: National Geographic, Global Culture, ...
... and Hindu snakecharmers and drear, Biblical landscapes that give no ray of hope to one who likes a dollar limit game once in a while. In fact we are weary of everything Asiatic, for a time at least; the great unwashed have lost their appeal.
Stephanie L. Hawkins, 2010
9
Public Health Profiteering
The record shows that many of those who have condemned obesity were themselves overweight to a greater or lesser degree. Those Who Know Better never hesitate to tell the great unwashed to "do as I say, not as I do." This book is about C.
James T. Bennett, Thomas J. Di Lorenzo
10
Pelham
Miscast in the role of assassin, inhabiting the stolen body of a stalwart savage, the star-wanderer from Earth found himself in dangers beyond even his wildest imaginings!
Edward Bulwer Lytton Lytton, Baron, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 2008

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «THE GREAT UNWASHED»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term the great unwashed is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Penthouse gym to separate high-flyers from great unwashed
Penthouse gym to separate high-flyers from great unwashed ... they can exercise in private, without having to share a changing room with the great unwashed. «Financial Times, May 15»
2
The upper classes are the great unwashed
Friends won't allow me to forget my admission that I don't always change sheets for every new house guest. “Are they clean?” they ask sarcastically as I show ... «The Times, Mar 15»
3
Archaeologists don't want 'the great unwashed' at Stonehenge …
Archaeologists don't want 'the great unwashed' to have access to Stonehenge during the summer solstice, and are just using minor damage 'as an excuse' to ... «Western Daily Press, Mar 15»
4
2 Broke Girls “And The Great Unwashed” Season 4 Episode 13
2 Broke Girls Season 4 Episode 13 “And The Great Unwashed” airs Monday, February 23rd (8:00 – 8:30 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. In tonight's ... «TV Equals, Feb 15»
5
This is what the inside of a £400 million private jumbo jet looks like
For those billionaires fed up of travelling with the great unwashed, or who just fancy a little more room than first class has to offer, there's this $600 million (£389 ... «Metro, Feb 15»
6
The Great Unwashed Masses
Last week, the great unwashed masses saw the #MyCleanIndia campaign sweep across the nation like a white strip in a Tide ad. Our government reminded us ... «Daily News & Analysis, Nov 14»
7
Ten reasons why The Great Unwashed should boo Peter …
He would have had plenty of money from the sale and the great Oilers teams would have remained intact for longer, maybe for much longer. Instead ... «Edmonton Journal, Oct 14»
8
Australia becoming the land of the great unwashed?
The proportion of Australians who buy soap in an average four-week period has shrunk almost 10% over the last five years, the latest data from Roy Morgan ... «Roy Morgan Research, Sep 14»
9
Peter Gutteridge RIP
A post on the website of Flying Nun Records, who, in addition to The Clean, The Chills and Snapper, had The Great Unwashed, Gutteridge's band with The ... «The Quietus, Sep 14»
10
The Great Unwashed American Energy Independence
The eurocrisis is over, the US Navy makes fuel from seawater, and America will be energy independent by 2037, according to the EIA. Boy, where do we begin? «The Market Oracle, Apr 14»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. The great unwashed [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/the-great-unwashed>. Apr 2024 ».
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