plebeian

1 of 2

noun

ple·​be·​ian pli-ˈbē-ən How to pronounce plebeian (audio)
1
: a member of the Roman plebs
2
: one of the common people
plebeianism noun

plebeian

2 of 2

adjective

1
: of or relating to plebeians
2
: crude or coarse in manner or style : common
plebeianly adverb

Examples of plebeian in a Sentence

Adjective wondered what the people at the country club would think of his plebeian origins
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Ofcourse the very distinguished Duke of Wellington will miraculously bring a little dignity by putting an end to to this unfortunate plebeian and his empire. Zenger News, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023 Duckbill is the latest company that wants to make a personal assistant available to us plebeians, starting at $99 a month. BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2023 In practice, the plebeians (the general citizenry) had fewer voting rights than the aristocratic patricians. National Geographic, 4 Nov. 2019 The second-class plebeians worked the farms, baked the bread and built the walls. Bret Stetka, Scientific American, 11 Oct. 2019 But unlike us plebeians, the model got to come back as an adult and put her own stamp on the iconic toy store, which is reopening at 30 Rockefeller Center on November 16. Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, 25 Oct. 2018 Snob is an 18th-century term for a cobbler's apprentice and, by extension, for plebeians in general, like me. P.j. O'Rourke, Town & Country, 15 Sep. 2016 Celebrities surprising unsuspecting plebeians is practically a cottage industry at this point. New York Times, 11 May 2018 Running dreams, for runners and plebeians nonrunners alike, are totally common and take myriad forms with boundless interpretations. Grace Perry, Outside Online, 10 Apr. 2018
Adjective
Skeptics might shrug their shoulders at this plebeian fare. Sonia Rao, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023 View Photos These plebeian sedans don't exhibit the manic price inflation seen in much of the automotive market. Joey Capparella, Car and Driver, 4 Aug. 2023 Wide fenders, a menacing front fascia, and GR Corolla–specific wheels are only the tip of the iceberg that separates Toyota's hottest hatch from its more plebeian Corolla sibling. Greg Fink, Car and Driver, 1 Apr. 2022 The Lexus ES is the brand's entry-level luxury sedan and shares a mechanical relationship with the more plebeian Toyota Camry. Ryan Zummallen, Star Tribune, 2 June 2021 But there are precious few supercars anymore that aren't force-fed air by multiple turbos, and all-wheel drive has become just as ubiquitous in more plebeian autos. Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 17 Mar. 2020 The reported output figures of at least 400 horsepower and 361 lb-ft of torque for the STI are new, though, and surprising, given that this engine makes 260 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque in its more plebeian applications. Joey Capparella, Car and Driver, 27 Feb. 2020 That's right — getting a hole in one for Simpson is like yawning for plebeian humans. Katherine Fitzgerald, azcentral, 1 Feb. 2020 Behind the film lie the Panama Papers—the millions of files, leaked in 2016, that demonstrated how the wealthy stash their moola offshore and thereby avoid the plebeian vulgarity of tax. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 20 Sep. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plebeian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin plebeius of the common people, from plebs common people

First Known Use

Noun

1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of plebeian was in 1533

Dictionary Entries Near plebeian

Cite this Entry

“Plebeian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plebeian. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

plebeian

noun
ple·​be·​ian
pli-ˈbē-(y)ən
1
: a member of the common people in ancient Rome
2
: one of the common people
plebeian adjective

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