hoi polloi

American  

[hoi puh-loi] / ˈhɔɪ pəˈlɔɪ /

plural noun

1. Often the hoi polloi the common people; the masses.

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hoi polloi British  

/ ˌhɔɪ pəˈlɔɪ /

plural noun

1. derogatory the masses; common people

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hoi polloi Cultural  

1. The masses, the ordinary folk; the phrase is often used in a derogatory way to refer to a popular preference or incorrect opinion: “The hoi polloi may think that Fitzgerald is a great director, but those who know about film realize that his work is commercial and derivative.” From Greek, meaning “the many.”

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Etymology

Origin of hoi polloi

First recorded in 1835–40; written in Greek letters in 1668 ; from Greek hoi polloí “the many”

Example Sentences

Known for only wearing metallic animal masks and formal attire, the VIPs are the filthy rich who pay to watch and bet on the desperate hoi polloi who compete in the Squid Game.

From Salon • Dec. 29, 2024

But the difference between championship-caliber teams such as Milwaukee and the league’s hoi polloi is knowing how to turn an inch into a mile.

From Washington Post • Mar. 5, 2023

The residents seemed “perfectly happy to have their rich neighbors looking at them, but they’re not happy to have hoi polloi at the Tate looking at them,” he said.

From New York Times • Feb. 1, 2023

No pestilence had been ever so fatal, or so hideous,” begins Poe’s 1842 tale about a prince who parties with revelers safely locked away in his posh castle while the hoi polloi outside perish.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2022

Presumably they were used to dazzle hoi polloi.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann