salt of the earth
noun
an individual or group considered as representative of the best or noblest elements of society.
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RELATED WORDS
proper, principled, righteous, noble, moralistic, trustworthy, renowned, illustrious, eminent, well-known, distinguished, prominent, esteemed, satisfying, worthwhile, admirable, reliable, excellent, desirable, valuable
Nearby words
- salt lake,
- salt lake city,
- salt lick,
- salt marsh,
- salt mine,
- salt of the earth, the,
- salt of the earth, ye are the,
- salt out,
- salt pan,
- salt pit
Origin of salt of the earth
1350–1400; Middle English; after Matthew 5:13
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for salt of the earth
Leno has staked his claim to the working-class, salt-of-the-earth demographic.
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.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.