What does "commoner" mean?
A member of the common people who holds no title or rank.
Commoner
/ˈkɒm.ə.nə(ɹ)/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A member of the common people who holds no title or rank.
- Grammar: commoner is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: average man, bourgeois, bourgeoisie, churl.
- Useful contrasts: danish konge, highborn, historic person.
- Usage evidence: It fascinates many that Prince William would marry a commoner.
How to use "commoner"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "commoner" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "commoner" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "commoner" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "commoner" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "commoner" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "average man" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "commoner", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A member of the common people who holds no title or rank.
- 2 a person who holds no title wordnet
- 3 Someone who is not of noble rank. British
"All below them [the peers], even their children, were commoners, and in the eye of the law equal to each other."
- 4 A student who is not dependent on any foundation for support, but pays all university charges. UK, obsolete
"There are to this day fellow-commoners at Queens, and surely such a distinguished commoner as Fuller would have been allowed to remain on that foundation, in which he had spent seven years, in this new capacity. The expense would have been about the same, and the only way in which I can account for his migration is either pique at being passed over, or the friendship of so famed a theologian as Dr. Ward."
- 5 Someone who has a right over another's land. They hold common rights because of residence or land ownership in a particular manor, especially rights on common land. eg: centuries-old grazing rights
"Much good land might be gained from forests […] and from other commonable places, so as always there be a due care taken that the poor commoners have no injury."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 One sharing with another in anything. obsolete
"From the Counsell he was carried home to the Prison, and there for many days kept with bread and water, so that had the proudest Anchorite, pretending to the highest abstinence, been Commoner with him, it would have tried his swiftest Devotion to keepe pace with him."
- 7 A prostitute. obsolete
"O behold this ring / Whose high respect and rich validity / Did lack a parallel; yet for all that / He gave it to a commoner o'th' camp, / If I be one."
- 8 a rankless or average player in Tycoon; not the tycoon, rich, poor, or beggar.
Adjective
- 1 comparative form of common: more common comparative, form-of
"Sunday [train] services were far commoner than in later years."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"It fascinates many that Prince William would marry a commoner."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "commoner"?
Common synonyms include: average man, bourgeois, bourgeoisie, churl, civilian, cockney.
How do you use "commoner" in a sentence?
It fascinates many that Prince William would marry a commoner.
How do you pronounce "commoner"?
Pronounced /ˈkɒm.ə.nə(ɹ)/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From common + -er (comparative suffix).
Etymology 2
From Middle English comoner, comyner, cumuner, equivalent to common + -er.