Skip to main content
Joe Citizen

Joe Citizen

1 4.1
An ordinary member of the public
  • noun
translation icon : ciudadano promedio

Examples

  • But Johnson is someone that the corporate-owned media won't let the average Joe Citizen hear about.

    Blog text (30)
  • Joe Citizen

    Blog text (21)
  • Young black males killing each other is such a common occurrence that it doesn't even get a raised eyebrow from Joe Citizen reading about it in the local paper.

    Blog text (30)
  • Many politicians claim to represent Joe Citizen, but they often prioritize their own interests instead.

  • The new policy aims to improve everyday life for Joe Citizen and make essential services more accessible.

  • Every election, candidates promise to listen to Joe Citizen, yet few actually follow through with their commitments.

Synonyms

common man
vsJoe Citizen
30 2.0

An ordinary man without a title, rank, or special rights

aims at the general public member idea regardless of gender focus
Joe
vsJoe Citizen
  • Informal
10 2.5

A regular man who stands for the average person

is a fuller personal label implying an average public member
man on the street
vsJoe Citizen
10 2.7

An ordinary person who is not an expert

uses a personal-name style to point to the average public member
man in the street
vsJoe Citizen
  • Literature
5 3.4

A regular person who shows the views of most people

is a personal-style label rather than a phrase about public opinion
Joe Blow
vsJoe Citizen
  • Informal
2 4.8

A person who is like most everyday people

is the more formal-sounding personal term for the same idea
Joe Public
vsJoe Citizen
  • Literature
1 6.3

A typical person who represents what most people think

is the same everyday public idea but framed as a personal label
common person
vsJoe Citizen
1 1.4

A person who has no title and is an ordinary member of society

focuses on average public membership rather than social rank
John Q. Public
vsJoe Citizen
1 6.1

An ordinary person who represents the public

uses a simpler personal label for the same ordinary public idea
Joe Average
vsJoe Citizen
  • Informal
1 5.2

A typical person with no special skills or fame

is more like a casual personal name for an ordinary person
Joe Bloggs
vsJoe Citizen
  • UK
4.6

A name for an ordinary man like a neighbour or friend

shares the average person idea but is not regionally marked
John Citizen
vsJoe Citizen
  • Australian
6.3

An average person used as a name to represent most people in Australia

expresses the same ordinary person idea without regional marking
Joe Schmoe
vsJoe Citizen
  • Slang
7.9

A name people use for an ordinary, typical man

is similar but presented as a neutral public member label

Antonyms

480 2.3

A famous person who many people know and is often an actor or sports player

5 4.1

A person who is well known and admired

How Typical

everyman
  • Literature
16 5.4
Joe Citizen
1 4.1
celebrity
480 2.3

Surface Forms

Joe Citizen singular
Joe Citizens plural

Morphology

Joe + citizen

The meaning 'an average or typical member of the public' is directly derivable from combining 'Joe' (a generic male name used to represent an ordinary person) with 'citizen' (an ordinary member of a state). This compositional pattern (cf. 'Average Joe', 'John Doe') is common and transparent enough that a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will infer the intended sense.

Etymology

Joe Citizen comes from the simple idea of using a common name to stand for any person: Joe is a plain, everyday name and citizen means a member of the public. So Joe Citizen is a short way to say 'an ordinary or average person'.