noun ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   In fiction, drama, or allegory, the archetypical ordinary individual, frequently the protagonist in a parable of some sort.

   "Near-synonyms: man on the street, John Q. Public (see more there)"

2. 2
   the ordinary person wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

allaverageaverage manbody politicbourgeoiscitizenry

Example

More examples

"Near-synonyms: man on the street, John Q. Public (see more there)"

Etymology

Perhaps from the Flemish play Elckerlijc (c. 1495) or its English translation Everyman (c. 1520).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.