commoner
commoner Lexical Profile
commoner Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An ordinary person without noble or royal rank or title.
"The prince broke centuries of tradition by marrying a commoner."
British A university student at Oxford or Cambridge who is not supported by a scholarship or exhibition and pays full fees for board and tuition.
"He matriculated at Trinity College as a commoner before winning a college scholarship in his second year."
British A person who holds a legal right of common over shared land, such as the right to graze livestock or gather firewood.
"Local commoners still exercise their ancient right to graze ponies and cattle across the New Forest."
• adjective
More common; occurring, found, or done more frequently or widely.
"This species of sparrow is much commoner in rural hedgerows than in urban parks."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'commoner' is grammatically valid as the comparative form of the adjective 'common', modern English speakers strongly prefer 'more common' to avoid confusion with the noun meaning an ordinary citizen.
• Rhymes for commoner
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Middle English, from Old French 'comunier', meaning a citizen or joint owner, derived from Latin 'communis' ('shared by all or many').