masses

Ordinary people considered as a large group, especially those without power or wealth.

• The leader spoke directly to the masses.
• Cheap books brought literature to the masses.
• Will this new policy win support among the masses?

Similar words: the public, ordinary people

Common phrases: the masses, appeal to the masses, education for the masses

Ordinary people, especially those with little money or power, considered as a group.

• The ruler ignored the masses.
• Cheap books made knowledge available to the masses.
• The wealthy lived far from the struggling masses.

Similar words: the common people, the populace

Opposites: the elite

Common phrases: the masses, educate the masses, feed the masses

Large amounts or groups of material gathered together.

• Huge masses of ice blocked the river.
• Warm air masses moved across the country.
• The scan showed two masses of abnormal tissue.

How to use it: masses of something (Dense masses of cloud covered the mountain.)

Similar words: lumps, bodies

Common phrases: masses of something, air masses, dense masses

All the people in a society, considered together.

• The message reached the masses.
• Television brought the debate to the masses.
• Will these changes benefit the masses?

Similar words: the public, the population

Common phrases: the masses, reach the masses, appeal to the masses