populace

«populace» in Mova's school dictionary: All the ordinary people who live in a country or area… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

noun (the populace, uncountable, formal)

meaning for a pupil

(formal) All the ordinary people who live in a country or area; the general public. tree →

sense in the lessons

A formal word used in history, news and exam writing: «The king ignored the needs of the populace.» In everyday life people say «the public» or «the people». It tells the reader the writer is talking about everyone, not the rulers.

examples

• The king taxed the populace heavily. tree →
• The new law was popular with the populace. tree →
• The whole populace was asked to vote. tree →
• During the war, the populace had to use ration books. tree →
• The emperor gave bread and games to keep the populace happy. tree →
• The town's populace gathered in the square. tree →

note

Formal; usually «the populace». Homophone trap: «populace» (the people) and «populous» (an adjective meaning having many people: a populous city) sound the same. Related: population.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «populace» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.