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DictionarypopulaceOrdinary people
noun

populace

PAHP-yuh-lus/ˈpɑːpjələs/

The ordinary people living in a place.

These local residents are part of the town’s populace.

Five ordinary local residents stand chatting together beside a small shared street bench, compact community scene with no officials or crowd panorama.
Etymology
populItalianpeople
+aceItalianpejorative suffix

“People” with a disparaging suffix produced a word meaning “riffraff” or “rabble.” English uses it for the ordinary people of a community, without necessarily carrying that original contempt.

In context

Wikipedia Fan56:51
disconnected from the mass populace, especially lower and working-class young people
Nazi | Wikipedia audio article

More examples

  • The policy angered much of the populace.
  • Clean water benefited the entire populace.
  • The city’s populace grew rapidly.

Forms

populace

Similar words

population
Population is the total number or body of inhabitants; populace emphasizes the people collectively.
public
The public can mean people generally or a particular audience; populace refers to inhabitants of a place.