Everyman

[ev-ree-man]

noun

1. (italics),  a 15th-century English morality play.

2. (usually lowercase),  an ordinary person; the typical or average person.

pronoun

1. everybody; everyone.

Everyman

/ ˈɛvrɪˌmæn /

noun

1. a medieval English morality play in which the central figure represents mankind, whose earthly destiny is dramatized from the Christian viewpoint

2. (often not capital) the ordinary person; common man

Word History and Origins

Origin of Everyman¹

every + man

Example Sentences

But the most effective aspect of this monologue was Kimmel’s relatable everyman outrage.

From Salon

The so-called Late Night Wars of 2010 that pitted NBC and Jay Leno against Conan O’Brien revealed yet another part late-night hosts are called on to play, that of the everyman’s stand-in.

From Salon

Detectives quickly realised that behind the everyman image, Andrews Jr was the mastermind of a multi-million pound drug empire selling cocaine and heroin on an industrial scale.

From BBC

“The tale of ‘Everyman’ was one in which a universal protagonist met with all of the challenges of life and a reckoning with himself and with God,” Hull says.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s a work of pageantry, inspired in part by Hull’s fascination with medieval morality plays, specifically the story of “Everyman,” an examination of self and of our relationship to a higher power.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• anybody 
• everybody 
• people