Synonyms of populace

populace

noun

ˈpä-pyə-ləs 

as in people

the body of the community as contrasted with the elite

high officials awkwardly mingling with the general populace

Synonyms & Similar Words

• people
• public
• crowd
• mob
• commoners
• mass
• millions
• commons
• plebs
• plebeians
• multitude
• herd
• cattle
• rabble
• rank and file
• proletariat
• unwashed
• riffraff
• hoi polloi
• bourgeoisie
• rout
• scum
• middle class
• trash
• rabblement
• ragtag and bobtail
• tag, rag, and bobtail

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• elite
• aristocracy
• elect
• cream
• choice
• pride
• flower
• society
• fat
• upper crust
• pink
• pick
• A-list
• best
• nobility
• quality
• gentry
• royalty
• patriciate
• gentlefolk
• corps d'elite
• peerage
• gentility
• haute monde

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of populace

The vanishing New York chronicled in the blogs of the mid-aughts has mostly vanished, NYU has colonized large swaths of downtown, and a populace struggling to afford the crushing price of housing has arisen in its wake. — David Freedlander, Curbed, 11 Sep. 2026

But the impulse to monitor the nation’s populace and borders expanded exponentially. — David Friend, Vanity Fair, 10 Sep. 2026

But Onslaught doesn’t interrogate or even look at the military industrial complex with much interest beyond the notion that its fictional super soldiers were created to be unleashed upon civilian populaces. — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026

China also hopes to encourage more citizens to exercise, thereby making an aging populace more active and reducing strain on the health system. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026