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• salt of the earth
  salt of the earth

  noun

  an individual or group considered as representative of the best or noblest elements of society.
• salt of the Earth
  salt of the Earth

  Basic, fundamental goodness; the phrase can be used to describe any simple, good person: “I like Mary: she's reliable, trustworthy, and straightforward; she's the salt of the Earth.” In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his followers, who are mainly fishermen and other simple people, “Ye are the salt of the Earth.”

salt of the earth

American  

noun

1. an individual or group considered as representative of the best or noblest elements of society.

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salt of the Earth Cultural  

1. Basic, fundamental goodness; the phrase can be used to describe any simple, good person: “I like Mary: she's reliable, trustworthy, and straightforward; she's the salt of the Earth.” In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his followers, who are mainly fishermen and other simple people, “Ye are the salt of the Earth.”

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Etymology

Origin of salt of the earth

1350–1400; Middle English; after Matthew 5:13

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

salt of the earth salt of the Earth

“The people we cater to at these things are ... everyday people, salt of the earth people.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2025

He described the three people killed as “three beloved parishioners — salt of the earth people, just great, great people.”

From Washington Times ● Jun. 26, 2023

"It is true there are few of us here, but we call ourselves the salt of the earth because even a pinch of salt can add a lot of flavour to this town."

From Reuters ● Apr. 13, 2023

The energy in Liverpool, it's just salt of the earth people.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2022

These were good people, common people; the salt of the earth; people whom I should count myself fortunate to know.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

And even though we didn’t share screen time together in this film, we shared some time off camera and he was salt of the Earth when he first met me.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 20, 2023

“She took pride in calling herself a New Yorker but she had salt of the Earth mid-western roots which she was also proud of,” Hilepo said in an email.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 17, 2020

Russian people are the salt of the Earth.

From New York Times ● Nov. 15, 2017

He describes his parents as “very self-effacing, very salt of the Earth kind of people.”

From Time ● Jul. 20, 2016

A respectable, ever-increasing minority, who do strive for something higher than money, I with confidence anticipate; ever-increasing, till there be a sprinkling of them found in all quarters, as salt of the Earth once more.

From Past and Present Thomas Carlyle's Collected Works, Vol. XIII. by Carlyle, Thomas

Related Words

• admirable
• decent
• deserving
• desirable
• excellent
• honest
• laudable
• noble
• reliable
• satisfying
• true
• trustworthy
• valuable
• worthwhile