unpopular
Americanadjective
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not popular; disliked or ignored by the public or by persons generally.
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in disfavor with a particular person or group of persons.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unpopular
Explanation
When something is unpopular, it means most people don't like it, like a school lunch that nobody wants to eat or a TV show that nobody watches. Empty theaters and poor reviews indicate that a movie is unpopular. A politician with low approval ratings is unpopular and probably won't be reelected. Unpopular opinions are those that are not widely accepted or well-received. The word unpopular indicates a lack of favor or acceptance that can lead to rejection of products, ideas, and sometimes even people.
Vocabulary lists containing unpopular
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.
A 2025 profile on Bumper by local publication Edible Monterey Bay credits him with transforming “an unpopular heat-and-serve lunch program into a from-scratch operation” that featured locally grown produce.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
It's hugely unpopular among French livestock farmers and has not been implemented by several members of the bloc, including France.
From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026
Military discipline requires young officers to uphold high standards of conduct when doing so is unpopular, admit a mistake before it becomes a casualty, and accomplish missions under pressure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
The leaders of the A.I. industries are extremely unpopular and make bad messengers for requesting this sort of access.
From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026
All glorious reigns have these blank patches, during which the Crown is unpopular.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
