salt of the earth

See more synonyms for salt of the earth on Thesaurus.com

noun

an individual or group considered as representative of the best or noblest elements of society.

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. 2018

Related Words for salt of the earth

proper, principled, righteous, noble, moralistic, trustworthy, renowned, illustrious, eminent, well-known, distinguished, prominent, esteemed, satisfying, worthwhile, admirable, reliable, excellent, desirable, valuable

Examples from the Web for salt of the earth

Contemporary Examples of salt of the earth

Against O'Donnell's salt-of-the-earth presentation, Coons was aloof.
O'Donnell's Do or Die Debate
Samuel P. Jacobs
October 14, 2010
Leno has staked his claim to the working-class, salt-of-the-earth demographic.
The Not Ready for Primetime Player
Caryn James
September 15, 2009

salt of the earth in Culture

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.”