popular
Americanadjective
-
regarded with favor, approval, or affection by people in general.
a popular preacher.
- Synonyms:
- bookmark
-
regarded with favor, approval, or affection by an acquaintance or acquaintances.
He's not very popular with me just now.
-
of, relating to, or representing the people, especially the common people.
popular discontent.
-
of the people as a whole, especially of all citizens of a nation or state qualified to participate in an election.
popular suffrage; the popular vote; popular representation.
-
prevailing among the people generally.
a popular superstition.
-
suited to or intended for the general masses of people.
popular music.
-
adapted to the ordinary intelligence or taste.
popular lectures on science.
-
suited to the means of ordinary people; not expensive.
popular prices on all tickets.
adjective
-
appealing to the general public; widely favoured or admired
-
favoured by an individual or limited group
I'm not very popular with her
-
connected with, representing, or prevailing among the general public; common
popular discontent
-
appealing to or comprehensible to the layman
a popular lecture on physics
noun
Related Words
See general.
Other Word Forms
- antipopular adjective
- nonpopular adjective
- overpopular adjective
- popularity noun
- pseudopopular adjective
- quasi-popular adjective
- semipopular adjective
Etymology
Origin of popular
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English populer, from Latin populāris; people, -ar 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Taylor Swift was the biggest artist of 2025, and had the world's most popular album with The Life Of A Showgirl.
From BBC
In the south and Midlands of England, Defoe had built an information network among religious dissenters and monitored popular sentiment on important constitutional questions.
Some social-media posters claimed that AI has created a cheaper alternative to the popular computer system, prompting backlash from traders who have a sacred bond with the terminal.
Their videos draw on popular TikTok formats like shopping “hauls” and “get ready with me” routines, making supplements seem like a step toward pleasure or self-actualization.
I’ve written a lot of songs that I thought were pop songs in my life that didn’t end up being popular.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
