Populace means the ordinary people who live in a particular place, especially when thinking about them as a whole group. When a news article mentions “the populace of ancient Rome,” it's talking about all the regular Roman citizens: the merchants, farmers, craftspeople, and everyday families who made up the city. When a mayor considers what “the populace” thinks about a new park, she's thinking about the general public's opinion.

The word often appears in historical or formal writing. You might read that “the populace demanded change” or that a ruler “ignored the needs of the populace.” It emphasizes the collective power or experience of regular people rather than individuals or elite leaders like emperors and senators.

While population is a neutral term for counting everyone who lives somewhere, populace carries a sense of the common people as a group with shared interests or concerns. When a government policy affects the populace, it touches the lives of ordinary citizens in real, practical ways.