hoi polloi

plural noun

hoi pol·​loi ˌhȯi-pə-ˈlȯi 

: the general populace : masses

Several public boat ramps scattered around the lake give the hoi polloi access.

—Ella Gonzales

… two covert green rooms are available off the lobby for stars who don't want to mingle with hoi polloi.

—Brooks Barnes

Did you know?

In Greek, hoi polloi means simply "the many". (Even though hoi itself means "the", in English we almost always say "the hoi polloi".) It comes originally from the famous Funeral Oration by Pericles, where it was actually used in a positive way. Today it's generally used by people who think of themselves as superior—though it's also sometimes used in Pericles' democratic spirit. By the way, it has no relation to hoity-toity, meaning "stuck-up", which starts with the same sound but has nothing to do with Greek.

Synonyms of hoi polloi

• public
• populace
• people
• crowd
• mass
• rank and file
• millions
• mob

Examples of hoi polloi in a Sentence

"I pay no attention to the opinions of the hoi polloi," the writer sniffed

Recent Examples on the Web

Kapalua Bay Villas has deluxe one and two-bedroom villas perched on sunny, secluded Kapaula Bay, far from the hoi polloi. —Ben Davidson Correspondent, Oc Register, 21 Aug. 2025

Colbert has sober Catholic suits and an in-studio audience of the local hoi polloi. —Zak Cheney-Rice, Vulture, 15 July 2025

Because Tesla owners are always telling me how the EV hoi polloi (non-Tesla world) are tethered to an inferior public charging network. —Brooke Crothers, Forbes.com, 22 June 2025

Dog breeding began in order to segregate what were seen as the best exemplars of the species from the canid hoi polloi. —Alexandra Horowitz, The New Yorker, 24 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Greek, the many

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hoi polloi

• corduroy
• fauntleroy
• iroquois
• ahoy
• alloy
• annoy
• carboy
• convoy
• cowboy
• decoy
• deploy
• destroy