Canaille

Quick meaning: Canaille is a noun meaning (countable, collective) The lowest class of people; the rabble; the vulgar.

Meaning

(countable, collective) The lowest class of people; the rabble; the vulgar.

More Meanings

1. (uncountable, Canada) Shorts or inferior flour.

Example Sentences

… whatever language he knows, he knows precisely; whatever word he pronounces, he pronounces rightly; above all, he is learned in the peerage of words; knows the words of true descent and ancient blood, at a glance, from words of modern canaille; …

I was on a rampart watching the enemy pitch their camp; and, seeing the crowd of idlers round the stream, I asked M. du Pont, commissary of the artillery, to send one cannon-shot among this canaille: he gave me a flat refusal, saying that all this sort of people was not worth the powder would be wasted on them.

The President's Cup, for all its high-sounding name, was one of the lowliest and most humble trophies offered for competition to the members of our club... It had been instituted by a kindly committee for the benefit of the canaille of our little golfing world, those retired military, naval and business men who withdraw to the country and take up golf in their fifties.

Word Forms

• canailles

Synonyms for canaille

Depending on context, synonyms include commonality, commonalty, crowd, demos, herd, lower class.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include canail, rabble, roughscuff, crowd, snob, tagrag.

Related Dictionary Tools