public

Compared meaning: shared by a group of people (adjective).

比较义项：公共的，供一群人共有、共用的（形容词）。

• public 本词

  Public is the broadest term: it describes things provided for, run by, or open to society as a whole, often through the government, and contrasts with private.

  public是三者中含义最宽泛的词：指由政府提供、面向整个社会、任何人都可以使用的事物，与“私人的”相对。

  The new park is open to the public every weekend.

  这座新公园每个周末都向公众开放。

• common

  Common describes something jointly shared or owned by a group rather than by one person, without the government or whole-society implication of public; it often modifies land, property or abstract things like ground or interest.

  common强调由一群人共同拥有或分享，而不像public那样带有“由政府提供、面向全社会”的含义，常用来修饰土地、财产，或像共同立场这样的抽象事物。

  Despite their differences, the two sides found some common ground on this issue.

  尽管存在分歧，双方在这个问题上还是找到了一些共同点。

• communal

  Communal specifically describes things shared by the members of a particular community or household rather than owned privately by each individual, and is common in the context of shared living spaces.

  communal特指由某个特定群体或同住的人共同使用，而不是各自私人拥有，常用于描述公寓、宿舍等共同生活空间中的共用设施。

  The apartment building has a communal garden for all residents.

  这栋公寓楼有一个供全体住户共用的花园。

Public, common and communal all mean shared, not private. Public describes things open to society as a whole, often by government. Common describes something jointly owned by a group. Communal describes things shared by members of one community, like housing. Common meaning 'frequent', not compared.

这三个词都可表示“公共的、共有的”，但侧重不同：public强调面向整个社会、常由政府提供；common强调由一群人共同拥有或分享，不一定涉及全社会；communal则强调由某个特定群体（如同住的人）共同使用，而非私人拥有。这里不比较common的“常见的”（发生频率高）这一义项。

Compared meaning: people in general (noun).

比较义项：泛指人们、大众（名词）。

• world

  Informal and often hyperbolic; means everyone, humanity in general, especially as an audience to be told, shown or impressed; not tied to one country.

  非正式且常带夸张色彩，指“所有人，全人类”，尤其作为被告知、被展示或需要说服的对象，不局限于某一个国家。

  She wanted to prove to the world that she could succeed.

  她想向全世界证明自己能够成功。

• public 本词

  Neutral, everyday word for ordinary people as a group, often contrasted with officials, experts or a company; common in service, safety and business contexts.

  中性、日常用词，指作为一个群体的普通民众，常与官员、专家或公司相对；常用于服务、安全和商业语境。

  The company apologized to the public after the data breach.

  数据泄露事件发生后，公司向公众道歉。

• populace

  Formal or literary word for the entire population of a country or region, often used when describing how they are governed, taxed or ruled.

  正式或文学化用词，指一个国家或地区的全体人口，常用于描述他们如何被治理、征税或统治。

  The king's heavy taxes made the populace deeply resentful of his rule.

  国王繁重的赋税让民众对他的统治深感怨恨。

World, public and populace all mean people generally. World is informal, meaning everyone as an audience to impress. Public is neutral, ordinary people versus officials or experts. Populace is formal, a country's population, linked to its rulers. Not compared: world meaning 'earth', public as adjective.

这三个词在“泛指人们”这个意义上相近，但语域和搭配不同：world 非正式、范围最广，常用于“向全世界证明或宣告”；public 中性日常，强调与官方或专家相对的普通大众；populace 正式书面，常见于描述一国或一地民众与统治者的关系。这里不比较 world 的“世界，地球”义和 public 的“公共的，公开的”（形容词）义。