plebeian
/pliˈbiːən/
plebeian noun: a member of the plebs, the common citizens of ancient Rome.
Noun
plebeian (plural plebeians)
- A member of the plebs, the common citizens of ancient Rome.
- Na plebeane will tak þe dochter of ane patriciane but hir consent.
[No plebeian will take the daughter of any patrician but her consent]1533, John Bellenden translating Livy, History of Rome, Vol. II, Ch. iv, Sect. ii - The cognomen was first used in patrician families, who were distinguished from the plebeians by their three names.1945, E[lizabeth] G[idley] Withycombe, “Introduction”, in The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page xiv
- Antonyms:
- patrician
- Na plebeane will tak þe dochter of ane patriciane but hir consent.
- A commoner, particularly (derogatory) a low, vulgar person.
- There blude... vald hef na bettir cullour nor the blude of ane plebien or of ane mecanik craftis man.
[Their blood... would have no better color nor the blood of any plebeian or of any mechanic craftsman]c. 1550, Robert Wedderburn, The Complaynt of Scotlande..., Ch. xv, p. 102 - The feelings of our heart, the agitation of our passions, the vehemence of our affections, dissipate all its conclusions, and reduce the profound philosopher to a mere plebeian.1748, David Hume, Enquiries concerning the human understanding and concerning the principles of moral., London: Oxford University Press, published 1973, § 3
- Antonyms:
- noble, aristocrat
- There blude... vald hef na bettir cullour nor the blude of ane plebien or of ane mecanik craftis man.
Adjective
plebeian (comparative more plebeian, superlative most plebeian)
- Of or concerning the plebs, the common citizens of ancient Rome.
- To what purpose be the plebeian Magistrates ordeined?1566, William Painter, The Palace of Pleasure Beautified, Vol. I, Ch. iv, fol. 9 verso
- Of or concerning the common people.
- ...priuate person or plebian multitude...1602, William Watson, A Decacordon of Ten Quodlibeticall Questions, page 301
- Common, particularly (derogatory) vulgar, crude, coarse, uncultured.
- For to plebeyan wits, it is as good,
As to be silent, as not vnderstood.1615, Robert Armin, The Valiant Welshman, Vol. i, Ch. i, sig. B - […] told me love was too plebeian / told me you were through with me1953, Arthur Hamilton, “Cry Me a River”
- For to plebeyan wits, it is as good,
plebeian meaning in Urdu, Bengali, Malayalam and Kannada
plebeian in Urdu
- عام, پست
plebeian in Bengali
- সাধারণ, নিচু শ্রেণির লোক
plebeian in Malayalam
- commoner, proletarian, working-class person
- സാധാരണക്കാരൻ, സാമാന്യക്കാരൻ, ജനസാമാന്യത്തിൽപ്പെട്ടവൻ, അധഃസ്ഥിതൻ, ജന്യൻ, മദ്ധ്യമൻ
- working-class, lower-class, proletarian
- സാധാരണ ജനവർഗ്ഗത്തിൽപെട്ട, ജനസാമാന്യത്തിൽപ്പെട്ട, അദ്ധ്വാനവർഗ്ഗമായ, അധസ്ഥ, അധസ്ഥിത, തൊഴിലാളിവർഗ്ഗിത്തിൽപ്പെട്ട
- uncultured, uncultivated, unrefined
- അപരിഷ്കൃതമായ, നിരാചാര, പ്രാകൃത, നാഗരികതയില്ലാത്ത, സംസ്കാരമില്ലാത്ത, സംസ്കാരം സിദ്ധിച്ചിട്ടില്ലാത്ത
plebeian in Kannada
- ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯಪ್ರಜೆ, ಶ್ರೀಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ, ಕೀಳುಕುಲದವ
More languagesFewer languages
- plebeian in Odia
- ପ୍ଲେବିଆନ plebiāna
- plebeian in Malay
- marhaen
- plebeian in Indonesian
- plebian
- plebeian in Persian
- عامیانه 'âmiyâne, عوامانه 'avâmâne
Synonyms of plebeian
Antonyms
Forms of plebeian
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | plebeians |
| alternative form | plebian |
| alternative form (obsolete) | plebeyan |
| alternative form (obsolete) | plebean |
| alternative form (obsolete) | plebeane |
| alternative form (obsolete) | plebien |
| Adjective | |
| comparative | more plebeian |
| superlative | most plebeian |
Origin of plebeian
From Latin plēbēius (“a commoner; common”) + -an (adjective-forming suffix), from Latin plēbēs + -ius (adjective-forming suffix), possibly under the influence of Middle French plebeyen, plebein, plebien (“a commoner”) and plebeien (“concerning the common people”). Cf. Medieval Latin plēbēiānus (“a commoner”), from plēbēius + -ānus.
Words formed from plebeian
Words that rhyme with plebeian
Questions about plebeian
- What does plebeian mean?
- Plebeian means a member of the plebs, the common citizens of ancient Rome.
- What is plebeian in Urdu?
- Plebeian in Urdu is عام, پست. See Plebeian meaning in Urdu.
- What part of speech is plebeian?
- Plebeian can be a noun or an adjective.
- How do you pronounce plebeian?
- Plebeian is pronounced /pliˈbiːən/.
- What is the plural of plebeian?
- The plural of plebeian is plebeians.
Words near plebeian in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: plebeian (page history and authors); plebeian (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); plebeian (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); plebeian (Olam, E.K. Kurup corpus) (dataset and license); plebeian (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-plebeian.ogg.
Cite this entry: “plebeian.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/plebeian. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.