ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

the great unwashed - the common people generally; "separate the warriors from the mass"; "power to the people"

hoi polloi, masses, multitude, people, mass

group, grouping - any number of entities (members) considered as a unit

laity, temporalty - in Christianity, members of a religious community that do not have the priestly responsibilities of ordained clergy

audience - the part of the general public interested in a source of information or entertainment; "every artist needs an audience"; "the broadcast reached an audience of millions"

followers, following - a group of followers or enthusiasts

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

For the first time in our history, the great unwashed did not do as their masters told them.

Politicians rebuffed by the great unwashed

But NOTHING could persuade me to camp in a field for four days or party with 200,000 of the great unwashed.

I'll always poo-poo the idea of trip to Glasto; NEWS & FEATURES JUST SAYING!

EVER since the 2016 referendum our ever-insecure MPs have been scratching their heads wondering what on earth the great unwashed meant when they voted to leave the EU.

Brexit betrayal will give Farage his chance

The four-hour hearing brought me to the edge of an ocean of despair and fears of a revolution of the great unwashed.

Playing with water

Free movement and immigration is the dominant issue as the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch and Lily Allen berate the great unwashed for inhumanly rejecting the millions heading north from seemingly half the globe.

Poor suffer from migrant onslaught; letters Get in touch - tell us what you think Email: ecletters@walesonline.co.uk Twitter: @WalesOnline Facebook: facebook.com/WalesOnline Post: Media Wales, 6 Park Street, Cardiff CF10 1XR

The executive who recently said he was "not in favour of dumbing down the large clubs in order to make all the clubs the great unwashed".

Scu's big bucks stop with Bruce; Dunny's Hairdryer

On one hand, they are suggesting a new way of treating fans found guilty of racism, but on the other they are making statements about being more important than the lesser clubs in Europe - to use chairman Bruce Buck's misguided words, 'the great unwashed'.

Matt's Corner: Buck stops at Chelsea boardroom for lack of consistency

He follows former chief executive Stewart Regan and chief operating officer Andrew McKinlay out the door, while non-executive director Gary Hughes is gone after Record Sport revealed he called Rangers fans "the great unwashed".

McGlennan walks from compliance officer role; MCGLENNAN QUITS

"The saturation coverage unleashed a flood of agitation from the great unwashed, who took to Twitter to vent their frustration at the fact that they were being force-fed a celebration of the petrified leftovers of an empire with a disgraceful history" - Media outlet Russia Today's verdict on the wedding.

They said what?

Despite the enormous cost of my rail pass, I have had to suffer numerous cancellations in the past few weeks and find myself sitting with the great unwashed on a miserable bus back home.

Rail cancellations and misery; LETTERS&NOSTALGIA

The great unwashed might have had more respect for Blair if he had admitted he was wrong all along about Iraqi WMDs.

Political u-turn can show you listen; LETTERS Get in touch - tell us what you think Email: letters@coventrytelegraph.net Twitter: @coventrytelegraph Facebook: facebook.com/coventrytelegraph Post: Coventry Telegraph, Leicester Row, Canal Basin, Coventry, CV1 4LY