You've probably seen it in a news report or a history book. "The protesters marched en masse toward the capitol." It sounds sophisticated. It’s got that French flair that makes a sentence feel expensive. But honestly? If you use it in a casual email to your boss about the team going to lunch, you look like you’re trying way too hard.
Language is about vibe.
When you look for other ways to say en masse, you aren't just looking for a synonym. You're looking for a specific "weight." Sometimes you need to describe a literal mob. Other times, you’re just talking about a bunch of people hitting "unsubscribe" on a newsletter at the same time. The French loanword en masse literally means "in a mass" or "all together," but English is a messy, beautiful junk drawer of a language that offers dozens of better ways to say the same thing depending on whether you’re being poetic, professional, or just plain blunt.
The Problem With Using En Masse Everywhere
It’s stiff. That’s the reality. While the Oxford English Dictionary traces its English usage back to the late 18th century—roughly around the time of the French Revolution—it hasn't exactly "relaxed" over the years. It carries a certain gravity.
If you say "The birds flew away en masse," it works. It’s cinematic. But if you say "We decided to go to the movies en masse," it feels clunky. Why? Because en masse implies a loss of individual identity. It’s a collective movement. If you’re looking for other ways to say en masse, you have to figure out if you’re describing a group of humans acting as one or just a high volume of things happening at once.
Casual Alternatives for Daily Life
Sometimes you just want to sound like a normal person. If you're texting a group chat, you aren't going to use French adverbs. You’re going to use something that fits the "let's all do this" energy.
In a body is one of those old-school phrases that has mostly fallen out of fashion, but you still see it in British literature. It sounds a bit formal but less "academic" than the French version. However, for most of us, all at once is the reigning champ. It’s simple. It’s punchy.
Then there’s as one. This is the one you use when you want to sound a little more dramatic. "The crowd rose as one." It implies a spooky level of synchronization. It’s a great other way to say en masse when you want to emphasize the unity of the action rather than just the number of people involved.
If you want to get a bit more "street level," people often say in droves. This is particularly useful when you’re talking about people moving toward a specific destination. You’ll hear it in business all the time: "Customers are leaving the platform in droves." It implies a slightly chaotic, unorganized, but massive movement.
Don't forget "In Bulk"
Wait, isn't that for Costco? Sorta. But you can use it for objects or data. If you’re moving files on a computer, you don't move them en masse (usually). You move them in bulk. If you’re a recruiter hiring fifty people for a new warehouse, you’re mass hiring.
Professional and Academic Substitutes
In a white paper or a legal brief, you might want to avoid the "fancy" French vibe and go for something more clinical. This is where collectively shines. It’s dry. It’s precise. It tells the reader that the group is acting as a single unit without the "fluff."
Another heavy hitter is in concert. This doesn't mean you're playing violins. It means the parts are working together to achieve a specific result. If three different departments all decide to change their software at the same time, they are acting in concert.
- In a body: High-level, slightly dated.
- Wholesale: Use this when something is being changed completely and without exception. "They rejected the proposal wholesale."
- Universal: If literally everyone is doing it.
- By and large: (Careful! This actually means "mostly," not "together," but people mix them up constantly.)
Let’s talk about lockstep. This is a powerful one. It comes from military marching, where everyone’s feet hit the ground at the same time. If you say a group is moving in lockstep, you’re usually hinting that they’re being a bit too obedient. It’s an other way to say en masse that carries a negative or "robotic" connotation.
The "Scale" Factor: When Numbers Matter
If your goal is to emphasize that the size of the group is what matters, you might look at en masse and think it’s too small.
Consider in a landslide. Obviously, we use this for elections. But it works for any situation where the sheer weight of the majority is overwhelming. Or how about to a man? (Or to a person, if you're keeping it gender-neutral). This phrase implies 100% participation. "They voted to strike, to a man." It's more intimate than en masse. It suggests that every single individual made the same choice.
Then you have the whole lot. Very British. Very effective. "They went over the cliff, the whole lot of them."
Why Context Changes Everything
You can't just swap these words out like Lego bricks. Context is king. If you use en masse to describe a biological process—like cells moving—it sounds scientific. If you use altogether, it sounds like you’re summarizing a bill at a restaurant.
I remember reading a piece by a linguist—it might have been Steven Pinker or someone in that circle—who pointed out that we use Latin and French roots when we want to sound objective and Germanic roots when we want to sound "from the heart."
- En masse (French): Objective, distant, observing a phenomenon.
- All together (Germanic): Warm, inclusive, feeling the group.
If you’re writing a novel and your characters are a tight-knit family, don't have them move en masse. Have them move as a unit or shoulder to shoulder. It feels tighter. It feels real.
Common Mistakes When Trying to Sound Smart
People often reach for en masse because they want to avoid the word "all." But "all" is a great word. It's one of the strongest words we have.
There's also a weird trend of people saying "on mass." Please, for the love of all that is holy, don't do that. It’s a "bone apple tea" situation. It’s en masse. If you aren't comfortable with the French spelling, that’s a huge sign you should be using one of the other ways to say en masse instead.
Another trap? In totality. It sounds like something a robot would say during a galactic invasion. "The planet was harvested in totality." Just say completely. Or entirely.
The Nuance of "Man for Man" and "Rank and File"
If you're talking about a group that has a structure, like an army or a corporate hierarchy, you can use rank and file. This refers to the massive group of people at the bottom of the pyramid. When the rank and file move, they are moving en masse, but using the specific term gives the reader more information about who these people are.
Man for man is different. It’s a comparison. But sometimes people use it to describe a group's quality. "Man for man, they were the best team in the league." This implies the collective strength is a result of every individual being great.
Real-World Examples of Synonyms in Action
Let's look at how a news editor might change a headline to shift the "feel."
Original: The employees resigned en masse.
(Sounds like a cold, factual report of a labor dispute.)
Alternative 1: The employees resigned in a body.
(Sounds slightly old-fashioned, maybe a bit more dignified.)
Alternative 2: The employees walked out as one.
(Sounds dramatic, like a scene from a movie.)
Alternative 3: There was a wholesale resignation.
(Sounds like a business disaster.)
Alternative 4: They all quit at once.
(Sounds like a conversation you'd have at a bar.)
Every single one of these communicates the same event, but the "flavor" is totally different.
Mastering the "Movement" Phrases
A lot of the time, we use en masse to describe movement. If that's what you're doing, you have a whole treasury of verbs that do the work for you. You don't even need an adverb.
Instead of saying "They moved en masse," try:
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- Swarmed: Use for insects or frantic crowds.
- Flooded: Use for people entering a space quickly.
- Streamed: Use for a continuous, steady flow of people.
- Thronged: Use for a dense, slow-moving crowd.
When you use a powerful verb, the need for other ways to say en masse basically disappears. The verb carries the weight of the "mass" for you.
Actionable Steps for Better Writing
If you're staring at your screen wondering which version to pick, follow this quick mental checklist:
- Check the "Temperature": Are you writing a formal report or a blog post? Use collectively or in a body for formal; use all together or as one for casual.
- Look for the "Why": Is the group moving because they are a hive mind? Use in lockstep. Are they moving because they all just happen to be going the same way? Use in droves.
- Audit for "French Pretension": Read the sentence out loud. If en masse makes you sound like you're wearing a monocle you didn't earn, swap it for all at once.
- Kill the Adverb: Can you use a better verb like stampeded or converged? If yes, do that. It’s always better writing.
- Watch the Spelling: If you stick with the original, remember it’s two words, two S’s, and an E at the end.
The goal isn't just to find a synonym. It's to find the word that fits the "shape" of the crowd you're describing. Whether it's a wholesale change in policy or a crowd rising as one at a concert, the right choice makes your writing feel human rather than generated.
Focus on the specific "vibe" of the group. If they are organized, use in concert. If they are a mess, use in a mad rush. If they are a literal weight, use in bulk. By choosing words that match the physical reality of the scene, you create a much stronger image than a generic French loanword ever could.