as in low
belonging to the class of people of low social or economic rank
wondered what the people at the country club would think of his plebeian origins
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in proletarian
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of plebeian
Ars Technica, 30 Aug. 2024
Skeptics might shrug their shoulders at this plebeian fare.
—Sonia Rao, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023
James Grebey, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
The first is the secession of the plebeians, where commoners staged a walkout in protest of unfair treatment by the ruling class.
—Phil Kirschner, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for plebeian
Adjective
The other was the much more plebeian Chevrolet Bolt, which was cheaper but nowhere near as luxurious, nor as enjoyable to drive.
—Ars Technica, 30 Aug. 2024
Skeptics might shrug their shoulders at this plebeian fare.
—Sonia Rao, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023
Noun
In the days of the Roman Empire, plebeians and patricians alike entertained themselves by watching men fight to the death.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
The first is the secession of the plebeians, where commoners staged a walkout in protest of unfair treatment by the ruling class.
—Phil Kirschner, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for plebeian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plebeian
Adjective
-
Wind chills could fall as low as minus 60 across Illinois, Minnesota and North and South Dakota.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Eriksson Ek had missed the previous six games, and Johansson the previous three, both of them with lower body injuries.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
On the one hand, the proletarian contributes every bit of on-the-clock activity to the value of the resulting commodity.—
Benjamin Kunkel,
Harpers Magazine,
28 Mar. 2025
-
The song, now considered a protest anthem, is about a social revolution in which French proletarians stand against the ruling class — in this case, an oppressive monarchy.—
Raven Brunner,
People.com,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
In 1959, all eyes were on a young Michiko Shōda, who became the first commoner to marry into the Japanese imperial family with her wedding to Crown Prince Akihito.—
Nicole Briese,
PEOPLE,
18 Jan. 2026
-
In October, King Charles stripped his younger brother Prince Andrew of all royal titles and privileges, leaving him a commoner known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Singer Island has a humble personality, with more reverence for its natural beauty and less regard for glamorous perfection than its southern neighbor.—
Kelsey Glennon,
Southern Living,
7 Jan. 2026
-
This humble ingredient is a powerhouse in all kinds of cooking.—
Anne Wolf,
Martha Stewart,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Instead of following his gut like some unenlightened pleb, Patrick trusts his spleen and his spleen alone.—
Laura Bradley,
Vulture,
13 Aug. 2025
-
But because these monsters have yet to develop any fungal armor, runners are susceptible to gunshots, knives, and any other weaponry that would take out your average pleb.—
Lauren Puckett-Pope,
ELLE,
20 Jan. 2023
Adjective
-
Here, however, Makowsky examines a purely ignoble figure who feels entitled without accomplishing a thing.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The Jets recently saw their local deliveries plummet to an ignoble 4.5 rating, which translates to a meager 350,530 Gang Green households tuning in to WBCS-2.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In Jodie Foster’s satire-cum-thriller, George Clooney plays a Jim Cramer-ish TV finance guru whose bullish promotion of one stock has led desperate prole Jack O’Connell to lose his life savings, leading to a hostage standoff in the TV studio.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Liverpool created opportunities but were unable to find the winning goal against lowly Burnley, heaping pressure on head coach Arne Slot.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
17 Jan. 2026
-
And the team’s 13–6 loss to the lowly Cleveland Browns in Week 17, during which Rodgers did not reach a hundred passing yards until late in the third quarter.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plebeian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plebeian. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
