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

See Examples For:

hoi polloi

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

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

His belief in his own morality also means that, unlike Axe, he has to worry about what hoi polloi think.

From New York Times ● Jan. 21, 2022

Soon after independence was won, the founding fathers began conspiring against their fellow revolutionists among the hoi polloi.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2020

Presumably they were used to dazzle hoi polloi.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann