the (great) unwashed

noun phrase

old-fashioned + humorous

: ordinary or common people who do not have a lot of money, power, or social status

I'm just a member of the great unwashed.

Examples of the (great) unwashed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

His appearances on several media platforms, (Belichick stuck with them even after agreeing to take the Carolina gig), revealed a likeable guy willing to share his football wisdom (if not many smiles) with the unwashed masses. —Bob Raissman, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2025

Another option to assess training intensity is to look at how the unwashed masses train: to sift through reams of data looking for the patterns and variables that predict the best race performances. —Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 31 Dec. 2024

Understandably, it’s gated off for us, the unwashed masses. —Geoffrey Morrison, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024

Those who hold elective office, or aspire to, would do well to spend more of their time listening to the great unwashed middle, and way less time pontificating and pandering to the extremists. —For Carroll County Times, Baltimore Sun, 30 June 2024

For an elite certain of its own virtue, and equally certain that the great unwashed has long since stopped respecting them, why bother with persuasion? —Peter Tonguette, Washington Examiner, 12 Jan. 2024

While the unwashed pillowcases had a slightly starchy feel, this is normal with hemp fabric and was gone after three washes. —Michelle Rostamian, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Jan. 2024

The washed sheet felt just as soft as the unwashed pillowcases. —Sharon Brandwein, Southern Living, 7 Aug. 2023