Do you know the definition of en masse? This article will give you all of the knowledge you need on the word en masse, including its definition, etymology, synonyms and antonyms, example sentences, and more!
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According to Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, the term en masse is an adjective and adverb that means in a group, as a whole, or all together. In French, this literally translates to “as a mass” or “as a group.” In modern English rules of phonology, English speakers use this Anglo-Norman word as an adverb and adjective. The pronunciation of en masse is ɛn ˈmæs.
Many different languages also contain words that mean en masse. You may notice that some of these words look and sound similar to one another. These are called cognates, which are words that retain the same meaning as well as a similar look and sound between languages. These are often formed when two words or languages have the same root or language of origin. This list of translations of en masse is provided by Word Sense.
German: in Massen
Spanish: en tromba
Mandarin: 集體, 集体 (jítǐ)
Portuguese: em massa
Russian: вме́сте, совме́стно; в ма́ссе, в це́лом; целико́м; во мно́жестве
Maori: pūtere, kurupe, kōpuni
Finnish: yhtenä joukkona, yhtenä miehenä
Yiddish: צוזאַמען
Czech: společně, spolu
Welsh: efo’i gilydd, gyda’i gilydd
Cyrillic: за̏једно, скупа
Khmer: ជាមួយគ្នា (cie muə yɔɔ knie)
Roman: zȁjedno, skupa
Polish: razem
Navajo: tʼáá łaʼ
Manx: ry cheilley
Vietnamese: cùng nhau, với nhau
Thai: พร้อม (próm), ด้วยกัน (dûay-gan)
Hungarian: együtt
Bokmål: sammen
Bengali: একত্র (ekôtrô)
Latvian: kopā
Egyptian Arabic: سوا (ma3 ba3d)
Latin: ūnā, insimul, idipsum, inter se
Armenian: միասին
Belarusian: ра́зам, суме́сна, супо́льна
Luxembourgish: zesummen
Macedonian: за́едно
Persian: با هم (bâ ham)
Indonesian: bersama, sama-sama
Urdu: ایک ساتھ (ek sāth), ساتھ (sāth), ساتھ ساتھ (sāth sāth)
There are many different words that can be used in place of the word en masse. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same meaning as another word or phrase. Synonyms are very useful to know if you are trying to avoid repeating yourself as well as if you are looking to expand your English vocabulary. This list of synonyms for the word en masse is provided by Power Thesaurus.
There are also a number of words that mean the opposite of the word en masse. These are called antonyms, which are another great tool to have in your English language arsenal if you are looking to grow your vocabulary. This list of antonyms for the word en masse is also provided by Power Thesaurus.
unique
private
single-handedly
exclusively
personally
companionless
unaided
unattended
on your own
abandoned
unaccompanied
in isolation
by himself
unequaled
single
sole
solitary
singly
simply
entirely
deserted
forlorn
lone
uniquely
independently
detached
just
by oneself
alone
solo
privately
individual
by herself
separate
lonesome
solely
unassisted
all alone
merely
lonely
forsaken
one by one
individually
only
by yourself
isolated
separately
by itself
apart
unparalleled
friendless
How can you use the word en masse in a sentence?
There are many different ways that a person can use the word en masse in a sentence. Using new words in a sentence is a great way to memorize their definitions. You can also try making flashcards or quizzes for yourself to test your knowledge of different definitions. Try using this word of the day in a sentence today! Below is an example of en masse or two to help get you started.
The large group of people stormed the Capitol gate en masse in July. The police arrested all of the people they could get.
The harcore protesters in Singapore would die en masse rather than let the bulldozer cut down the rain forest.
The group of teachers decided to go on strike en masse as a form of protest toward the school district. They demanded equal pay, fair hours and better treatment before they would teach again.
Overall, the French phrase en masse (adj./adv.) means all together or at the same time. This is frequently used in French literature but also by the upper classes of England. Try using this word of the day in a sentence today in order to memorize its definition!
Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.