noun
- vulgar or common expressions, behaviors, or characteristics typical of ordinary people rather than the educated or refined classes
Usage: formal; often derogatory
Examples
- The critic dismissed the novel’s dialogue as filled with plebeianisms.
- His speech was peppered with plebeianisms that shocked the aristocratic audience.
- The professor warned students to avoid plebeianisms in their formal essays.
- She tried to eliminate plebeianisms from her vocabulary before the job interview.
- The play’s authenticity came from its use of period plebeianisms.
- Literary scholars debated whether the author’s plebeianisms were intentional or careless.