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

For all its familiar eccentricity, “The Chair Company” is ultimately a satisfying exercise of give-and-take, with Robinson empowering his costars to draw us into their squeamishness and oddity as frequently as his everyman stampedes through his.

Read more on 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.

Read more on Salon

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

Read more on 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.

Read more on BBC

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.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• anybody 
• everybody 
• people