When I checked out answers for this question, one of the answers starts by saying :
While those might mean the same for the laymen, from a medical point
of view, there is a difference between illness and sickness.
I don't mean, is this sentence offensive; people don't have to know the difference from the medical point of view. But can this word be used in a offensive way to refer to a theory which says most of the people in a country are uneducated and don't care about much what going on around the world is?
How about my sentences– are they correct (no offense intended)
The laymen in Europe can't say the difference between the Council of Europe and the European Council.
This new tax policy mostly effects a layman's life in bad way, not nobles.
Can layman be replaced with "ordinary people on the street"?
Best Answer
I don't think 'layman' is an offensive term by any account. If you go by OALD, it says...
So, the term 'layperson' separates a common person from an expert. And, being a 'common man' here does not offend you or me at all.
The example down there puts light on it
But I do think that replacing it with 'ordinary' may get a few (including me) some note of offensiveness. I'd use common over ordinary.
However it may be worth noting that (at least in British English) 'layperson' seems to be the more accepted term, likely due to maintaining gender neutrality.