populace
Americannoun
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the common people of a community, nation, etc., as distinguished from the higher classes.
-
all the inhabitants of a place; population.
noun
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the inhabitants of an area
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the common people; masses
Etymology
Origin of populace
1565–75; < French < Italian popolaccio, equivalent to popol ( o ) people + -accio pejorative suffix
Explanation
The populace is a way to refer to a group of people in general, like the masses or a population. Populace, in its original use, was a negative way of referring to ordinary people, as opposed to rich, privileged, or royal people. A king might try to understand the mindset of the populace, but it's likely that he had no idea what their lives were really like. Populace can also be a neutral term that refers to a group of people living in a particular place. For example, New York City has a populace of about eight million people.
Vocabulary lists containing populace
"Seventh Grade" by Gary Soto
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The Girl Who Drank the Moon
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Surviving Hitler
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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.
"I hope it's a beautiful wedding...but I think they should do it somewhere that's less inconveniencing to general populace of New York City," she laughed.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
Rather, he said, leaders in a republic must seek to “mold” public sentiment—to convince an often skeptical populace that a controversial course of action is justified.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026
It is natural and logical that we would wish for the latter types of regime to be heavily reformed or outright replaced — especially with the local populace leading the way.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
The populace reacted so strongly to those images.
From Slate ● Feb. 2, 2026
Besides this, at the appropriate times of the year he should keep the populace occupied with festivals and spectacles.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
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.
