adj. 1 communal, community, common, general, collective, universal, catholic, popular, worldwide One need only compare early and new films to see how public taste has changed 2 civil, civic, social, societal, community, communal Although they may seem restrictive, these laws are for the public good 3 accessible, open, free, unrestricted, non-exclusive, communal, community, available He does much of his research in the public library 4 open, manifest, exposed, overt, projected, plain, obvious, apparent, patent, clear, clear-cut, acknowledged, known, admitted, visible, viewable, conspicuous Her public image is quite different from her private persona 5 visible, viewable, conspicuous, unconcealed, unshrouded, flagrant, blatant Has Alfie made a public spectacle of himself again? 6 well-known, prominent, eminent, celebrated, famous, renowned, noted, notable, influential, illustrious; notorious, disreputable, infamous Invite a well-known public figure to open the exhibition if you can 7 make public. See publish.
n. 8 community, people (at large or in general), citizenry, citizens, nation, populace, population, society, masses, multitude, hoi polloi, bourgeoisie, plebeians, proletariat, rank and file, middle class, third estate, commonalty, voters, man or woman in the street, Brit admass, US John Q. Public, Mr or Mrs Average, Colloq (any or every) Tom, Dick, and Harry The public has responded generously to the charity appeal 9 clientele or Brit also clientage, customers, custom, patrons, followers, supporters, buyers, consumers, purchasers, following, business, trade How can you expect to attract the public without advertising? 10 sector, segment, special-interest group, portion The commuting public will no longer tolerate these excessive train delays 11 in public. publicly, openly, in the open, Colloq out of the closet Jarvis has finally confessed in public what we long suspected privately