Public — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun /ˈpə-blik/ pub·lic

Meaning & Definition of Public

Public (adjective)

  1. exposed to general view, open
  2. well-known, prominent
  3. perceptible, material

Public (noun)

  1. a place accessible or visible to the public —usually used in the phrase in public
  2. the people as a whole, populace
  3. a group of people having common interests or characteristics; specifically, the group at which a particular activity or enterprise aims

Public (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. not known by only a select few

    "the mayor's plans to retire have been public knowledge for some time"

    similar: open, on record
    related: general, popular, nonclassified, unclassified, well-known, advertised, aired, announced, broadcast, declared, disclosed, divulged, heralded, posted, proclaimed, promulgated, publicized, published, spotlighted, current, prevalent, rife, widespread, communal, shared, reported, reputed, rumored
    opposite: confidential, private, privy, secret
    near: classified, unadvertised, unannounced, undisclosed, clandestine, collusive, conspiratorial, covert, surreptitious, undercover, underhand, underhanded, intimate, personal, concealed, repressed, reserved, silenced, stifled, suppressed, withheld, recanted, retracted, revoked

  2. freely available for use or participation by all

    "a public swimming pool"

    similar: free-for-all, open, unrestricted
    related: collective, common, communal, shared, accessible, available, free, unregulated, unreserved
    opposite: closed, exclusive, off-limits, private, restricted
    near: limited, inaccessible, unavailable

  3. of or relating to a nation

    "a trade agreement in the public interest"

    similar: civil, national
    related: civic, federal, municipal, government, governmental, domestic, internal, intestine, democratic, republican, nationwide
    opposite: nonnational
    near: global, international, alien, external, foreign

  4. held by or applicable to a majority of the people

    "public sentiment was against the war"

    similar: common, general, majority, overall, popular, prevailing, received, ruling, vulgar
    related: unanimous, universal, pop, everyday, familiar, household, usual, well-known, contemporary, current, present, dominant, predominant, preponderant, characteristic, typical, pandemic, pervasive, prevalent, rife, widespread, communal, shared
    opposite: uncommon, unpopular
    near: rare, strange, unknown, unusual, distinctive, especial, idiosyncratic, peculiar, special, unique, individual, separate, singular, nonpublic, personal, private

  5. used or done by a number of people as a group

    "public transportation"

    similar: collaborative, collective, combined, common, communal, concerted, conjoint, conjunct, cooperative, joint, multiple, mutual, pooled, shared, united
    related: bilateral, consensual, reciprocal, symbiotic, synergic, synergistic, two-way, mass, popular, general, generic, universal
    opposite: exclusive, individual, one-man, one-sided, one-way, single, sole, solitary, unilateral
    near: personal, private, independent, separate, several, esoteric, particular, special, specialized

Public (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. human beings in general

    "a lecture open to the public"

    similar: folks, humanity, humankind, people, species, world
    related: community, society, crowd, masses, mob, populace, proletariat, rabble, rabblement, riffraff

  2. the body of the community as contrasted with the elite

    "the highbrows have always disdained his novels, but the public just eats them up"

    similar: commoners, commons, crowd, herd, hoi polloi, mass, millions, mob, multitude, people, plebeians, plebs, populace, rank and file
    related: cattle, proletariat, rabble, rabblement, ragtag and bobtail, riffraff, rout, scum, tag, rag, and bobtail, trash, unwashed, bourgeoisie, middle class
    opposite: A-list, aristocracy, best, choice, corps d'elite, cream, elect, elite, fat, flower, pick, pink, pride, upper crust
    near: gentility, gentlefolk, gentry, haute monde, nobility, patriciate, peerage, quality, royalty, society

Related Entry: Public house (noun)

Public house is a different word from Public. The synonyms below are for public house, not for public.

  1. a place that provides rooms and usually a public dining room for overnight guests

    "took lodging at a public house that had recently been completely renovated"

    similar: auberge, caravansary, hospice, hostel, hostelry, hotel, inn, lodge, tavern
    related: B and B, bed-and-breakfast, guesthouse, apartment hotel, accommodations, lodgings, rest, court, motel, motor court, motor inn, motor lodge, resort, spa, tourist court, youth hostel, camp, campground, bunkhouse, dorm, dormitory, boardinghouse, lodging house, rooming house, doss-house (chiefly British), fleabag, flophouse

  2. a place of business where alcoholic beverages are sold to be consumed on the premises

    "visited a public house in London that has been welcoming customers since the time of Charles Dickens"

    similar: bar, barroom, café, cantina (Southwest), dramshop, gin mill, grogshop (chiefly British), pub, saloon, taproom, tavern, watering hole, watering place
    related: alehouse, barrelhouse, bistro, bottle club, brewpub, cabaret, dive, joint, nightclub, roadhouse, speakeasy, sports bar, wineshop, package store

Related Entry: Public servant (noun)

Public servant is a different word from Public. The synonyms below are for public servant, not for public.

  1. a person who holds a public office

    "the new governor made a vow that he would always remember why he was called a public servant"

    similar: functionary, officeholder, officer, official
    related: bureaucrat, administrator, commissioner, director, executive, head, manager, regulator, superintendent, supervisor, chair, chairman, flunky, minion, underling, co-official

  2. a worker in a government agency

    "concerned that the new federal agency would just add another slew of public servants to the government payroll"

    similar: bureaucrat, civil servant, functionary, mandarin
    related: clerk, officeholder, official, officiary, employee, hand, hireling, jobholder, underling, worker

Related Entry: Public speaking (noun)

Public speaking is a different word from Public. The synonyms below are for public speaking, not for public.

  1. the art of speaking in public eloquently and effectively

    "she is very experienced in public speaking and should do well in her campaign appearances before large crowds"

    similar: elocution, oratory
    related: bombast, grandiloquence, eloquence, rhetoric, discourse, speech, talk

Related Entry: Public defender (noun)

Public defender is a different word from Public. The synonyms below are for public defender, not for public.

  1. as in trial lawyer, criminal lawyer

    similar: criminal lawyer, mouthpiece (slang), trial lawyer, district attorney, prosecuting attorney, prosecutor, solicitor, jurist, cocounsel, lawgiver, lawmaker, legislator, solon, advocate, attorney, attorney-at-law, counsel, counselor, counselor-at-law, lawyer, legal eagle, ambulance chaser, pettifogger, Philadelphia lawyer, shyster

Related Entry: Public defenders (noun)

Public defenders is a different word from Public. The synonyms below are for public defenders, not for public.

  1. as in trial lawyers, criminal lawyers

    similar: criminal lawyers, mouthpieces (slang), trial lawyers, district attorneys, prosecuting attorneys, prosecutors, solicitors, jurists, cocounsels, lawgivers, lawmakers, legislators, solons, advocates, attorneys, attorneys-at-law, counselors, counselors-at-law, counsels, lawyers, legal eagles, ambulance chasers, pettifoggers, Philadelphia lawyers, shysters

Related Entry: Public school (noun)

Public school is a different word from Public. The synonyms below are for public school, not for public.

  1. as in high school, middle school

    similar: common school, elementary school, grammar school, high school, junior high school, kindergarten, middle school, primary school, secondary school, senior high school, trade school, training school, academe, academy, school, seminary, boarding school, prep, preparatory school, prep school, charter school, magnet school, minischool, madrassa, Sunday school, yeshiva

Related Entry: Public schools (noun)

Public schools is a different word from Public. The synonyms below are for public schools, not for public.

  1. as in high schools, middle schools

    similar: common schools, elementary schools, grammar schools, high schools, junior high schools, kindergartens, middle schools, primary schools, secondary schools, senior high schools, trade schools, training schools, academes, academies, schools, seminaries, boarding schools, preparatory schools, preps, prep schools, charter schools, magnet schools, minischools, madrassas, Sunday schools, yeshivas

Related Entry: Public houses (noun)

Public houses is a different word from Public. The synonyms below are for public houses, not for public.

  1. a place that provides rooms and usually a public dining room for overnight guests

    "took lodging at a public house that had recently been completely renovated"

    similar: auberges, caravansaries, hospices, hostelries, hostels, hotels, inns, lodges, taverns
    related: B and Bs, bed-and-breakfasts, guesthouses, apartment hotels, accommodations, lodgings, rests, courts, motels, motor courts, motor inns, motor lodges, resorts, spas, tourist courts, youth hostels, campgrounds, camps, bunkhouses, dormitories, dorms, boardinghouses, lodging houses, rooming houses, doss-houses (chiefly British), fleabags, flophouses

  2. a place of business where alcoholic beverages are sold to be consumed on the premises

    "visited a public house in London that has been welcoming customers since the time of Charles Dickens"

    similar: barrooms, bars, cafés, cantinas (Southwest), dramshops, gin mills, grogshops (chiefly British), pubs, saloons, taprooms, taverns, watering holes, watering places
    related: alehouses, barrelhouses, bistros, bottle clubs, brewpubs, cabarets, dives, joints, nightclubs, roadhouses, speakeasies, sports bars, wineshops, package stores

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Public

The most common words with a similar meaning to Public:

open, free-for-all, unrestricted, civil, national, common, general, majority, overall, popular, prevailing, received, ruling, vulgar, collaborative, collective, combined, communal, concerted, conjoint, conjunct, cooperative, joint, multiple, mutual, pooled, shared, united, on record, folks, humanity, humankind, people, species, world, commoners, commons, crowd, herd, hoi polloi

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Public

Words with the opposite meaning of Public:

confidential, private, privy, secret, closed, exclusive, off-limits, restricted, nonnational, uncommon, unpopular, individual, one-man, one-sided, one-way, single, sole, solitary, unilateral, A-list, aristocracy, best, choice, corps d'elite, cream, elect, elite, fat, flower, pick

Related Words for Public

nonclassified, unclassified, well-known, advertised, aired, announced, broadcast, declared, disclosed, divulged, heralded, posted, proclaimed, promulgated, publicized, published, spotlighted, current, prevalent, rife, widespread, reported, reputed, rumored, accessible, available, free, unregulated, unreserved, civic

Near Antonyms of Public

classified, unadvertised, unannounced, undisclosed, clandestine, collusive, conspiratorial, covert, surreptitious, undercover, underhand, underhanded, intimate, personal, concealed, repressed, reserved, silenced, stifled, suppressed, withheld, recanted, retracted, revoked, limited, inaccessible, unavailable, global, international, alien

Word Forms of Public

Inflections: publics

Derived words: publicness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Public

Middle English publique, publike, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin pūblicus "of or belonging to the people as a body, authorized by the state, communal, available to all, universal," alteration (by blending with pūbēs "adult male population, group of able-bodied men," perhaps via an adjective derivative *pūbicus) of earlier poplicus, from pop(u)lus "a human community, people, nation" + -icus -ic:1 pubes, people:1

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Public

Words & Phrases Containing Public

public-address system, public assistance, public defender, public domain, public health, public house, public-key, public land

Frequently Asked Questions about Public

What does "Public" mean?

"Public" means exposed to general view, open. As an an adjective and a noun, it is defined as: exposed to general view, open. It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Public"?

Other words for "Public" include open, free-for-all, unrestricted, civil, national, common, general and majority. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Public" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Public"?

There are 128 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Public". Common alternatives include open, free-for-all, unrestricted, civil, national, common, general, majority, overall and popular.

What is the opposite of "Public"?

Antonyms of "Public" include confidential, private, privy, secret, closed, exclusive, off-limits and restricted. Near antonyms include classified, unadvertised, unannounced and undisclosed.

How do you use "Public" in a sentence?

Examples of "Public" in a sentence: "the mayor's plans to retire have been public knowledge for some time"; "a public swimming pool"; "a trade agreement in the public interest".

Is "Public" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Public" can be used as an adjective and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Public" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B1-level word, "Public" is typical of Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET), IELTS band 4.0–5.0, TOEFL iBT 42–71, PTE Academic 43–58, TOEIC Listening & Reading 550+.

How do you pronounce "Public"?

"Public" is pronounced /ˈpə-blik/ and divided into syllables as pub·lic.