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Populace is usually used to refer to all the people of a country. Thus, we're often told that an educated and informed populace is essential for a healthy American democracy. Franklin D. Roosevelt's famous radio "Fireside Chats" informed and reassured the American populace in the 1930s as we struggled through the Great Depression. We often hear about what "the general populace" is thinking or doing, but generalizing about something so huge can be tricky.
Synonyms
Examples of populace in a Sentence
The populace has suffered greatly.
high officials awkwardly mingling with the general populace
Recent Examples on the Web
In the Eaton Fire zone, Latinos represent 27% of the populace but 35% of workers.
—
Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2025
Much to the amazement of the local populace, the eggs kept popping out—until it was discovered that the owner was writing the words and reinserting the eggs into the hapless hen’s cloaca.
—Arthur Krystal, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
Voltaire noted that thousands of people are already being repatriated from the Dominican Republic every week and gangs are terrorizing the populace.
—Trisha Thomas, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2025
Photo: Alamy The new JPMorgan Chase tower rising in midtown looks designed for the Harkonnen — dark, shiny, cantilevered to loom over the populace, and shiny.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 24 Jan. 2025
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Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2025
Much to the amazement of the local populace, the eggs kept popping out—until it was discovered that the owner was writing the words and reinserting the eggs into the hapless hen’s cloaca.
—Arthur Krystal, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
Voltaire noted that thousands of people are already being repatriated from the Dominican Republic every week and gangs are terrorizing the populace.
—Trisha Thomas, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2025
Photo: Alamy The new JPMorgan Chase tower rising in midtown looks designed for the Harkonnen — dark, shiny, cantilevered to loom over the populace, and shiny.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for populace
Dictionary Entries Near populace
Cite this Entry
“Populace.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/populace. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.
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populace
noun
pop·u·lace
ˈpäp-yə-ləs 
1
: the common people : masses
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