How to Use plebeian in a Sentence

plebeian

adjective
  • The boy who said that the emperor had no clothes was not an élitist insulting the plebeian parade spectators.
    Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2017
  • Which is to say: The intellectual became a plebeian in part because the patricians abandoned their duty.
    Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 11 July 2019
  • I got preoccupied feeding my dog (so plebeian!) and promptly forgot, a mistake that came back to haunt me during my subsequent photo op.
    Marina Khorosh, Vogue, 30 June 2017
  • Its newest products are savings accounts and consumer loans, plebeian products that Goldman would never have deigned to offer before the crisis.
    Nathaniel Popper, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2016
  • Then again, maybe my low penmanship expectations are the product of my plebeian public-school education.
    Anne Thériault, Longreads, 25 May 2018
  • Well aware of the difference between patrician gardening in the grand style and the more plebeian approach of cottage gardening, Ms. Lively appreciates both.
    Barbara Paul Robinson, WSJ, 12 July 2018
  • Once a month, he and Trudy - a registered nurse - volunteer their time at a free medical clinic in Arlington, Virginia, treating the uninsured for problems as plebeian as hemorrhoids.
    oregonlive, 5 Oct. 2019
  • Of course, there's also the plebeian alternative: Gently rub a refrigerated spoon under your eyes to mimic the same cooling effect for zero dollars.
    Ruby Buddemeyer, Marie Claire, 11 June 2018
  • While you and your plebeian friends celebrated Independence Day by firing up a few mediocre hotdogs on the barbecue, J-Rod were busy cozying up to each other on a picturesque beach looking hot as heck (literally and metaphorically speaking).
    Ruby Buddemeyer, Marie Claire, 6 July 2018
  • The boy who said that the emperor had no clothes was not an élitist insulting the plebeian parade spectators.
    Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2017
  • Which is to say: The intellectual became a plebeian in part because the patricians abandoned their duty.
    Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 11 July 2019
  • I got preoccupied feeding my dog (so plebeian!) and promptly forgot, a mistake that came back to haunt me during my subsequent photo op.
    Marina Khorosh, Vogue, 30 June 2017
  • Its newest products are savings accounts and consumer loans, plebeian products that Goldman would never have deigned to offer before the crisis.
    Nathaniel Popper, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2016
  • Then again, maybe my low penmanship expectations are the product of my plebeian public-school education.
    Anne Thériault, Longreads, 25 May 2018
  • Well aware of the difference between patrician gardening in the grand style and the more plebeian approach of cottage gardening, Ms. Lively appreciates both.
    Barbara Paul Robinson, WSJ, 12 July 2018
  • Once a month, he and Trudy - a registered nurse - volunteer their time at a free medical clinic in Arlington, Virginia, treating the uninsured for problems as plebeian as hemorrhoids.
    oregonlive, 5 Oct. 2019
  • Of course, there's also the plebeian alternative: Gently rub a refrigerated spoon under your eyes to mimic the same cooling effect for zero dollars.
    Ruby Buddemeyer, Marie Claire, 11 June 2018
  • While you and your plebeian friends celebrated Independence Day by firing up a few mediocre hotdogs on the barbecue, J-Rod were busy cozying up to each other on a picturesque beach looking hot as heck (literally and metaphorically speaking).
    Ruby Buddemeyer, Marie Claire, 6 July 2018

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plebeian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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