great unwashed
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of great unwashed
First recorded in 1855–60
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
From the standpoint of the great unwashed these busts were simply delicious, taking down hedge fund managers, CEOs, at least one California winemaker, a Desperate Housewife and Aunt Becky from "Full House."
From Salon • Mar. 17, 2021
It’s why they are nearly helpless against the good teams, even as they often look like world-beaters against the great unwashed of MLB.
From Seattle Times • May 19, 2019
The movie academy considers its “patrician duty to tell the great unwashed what they should be watching,’” not rewarding what viewers pay to see, Cameron told The Daily Beast.
From Washington Times • Feb. 22, 2017
In the arts, pretentiousness is the brand of witchcraft used by scheming cultural mandarins to keep the great unwashed at bay.
From The Guardian • Feb. 9, 2016
The man—Vasilli Tula—threw himself down on his knees, clawing at Paul's coat with great unwashed hands, whining out a tale of sorrow and misfortune.
From The Sowers by Merriman, Henry Seton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
