mass man

noun

1. a hypothetical common man, especially one held to be typical of a mass society, to be characterized by the absence of unique values or distinct personality traits, to lack a sense of personal or social responsibility, and to be readily manipulated by the techniques developed by mass media.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mass man¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

On Feb. 15, a Quincy, Mass., man was indicted on federal charges for allegedly striking an Asian man with his car after saying, “Go back to China.”

From Los Angeles Times

"The chief characteristic of the mass man is not brutality and backwardness," Hannah Arendt writes, "but his isolation and lack of normal social relations."

From Salon

At any Waltham, Mass., man’s “pahk ya cah.”

From Washington Post

Linker and Goldberg both invoke Hannah Arendt, who argued that loneliness can be a precondition for accepting totalitarian ideologies: “The chief characteristic of the mass man is not brutality and backwardness, but his isolation and lack of normal social relationships.”

From Slate

“It’s real, but the thing is I have to dislocate and extend it for it to look long,” the Westport, Mass., man told NBC Boston Channel 10 in a Friday interview.

From Fox News