Synonyms

unpopular

American

[uhn-pop-yuh-ler] / ʌnˈpɒp yə lər /

adjective

not popular; disliked or ignored by the public or by persons generally.
in disfavor with a particular person or group of persons.

unpopular British

/ ˌʌnpɒpjʊˈlærɪtɪ, ʌnˈpɒpjʊlə /

adjective

not popular with an individual or group of people

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

unpopularity noun
unpopularly adverb

Etymology

Origin of unpopular

First recorded in 1640–50; un- ¹ + popular

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.

The 73-year-old said politicians needed to be "prepared to be unpopular for a period of time to get the big issues sorted out".

From BBC

According to opinion polls, the prime minister is unpopular with voters, and his party seems set to lose a special election on Feb. 26 in a district it now holds.

From The Wall Street Journal

This relentless upgrading of videogame consoles was unpopular at first, but eventually helped change the way Americans viewed electronics.

From The Wall Street Journal

Who says every political leader in the free world is unpopular?

From The Wall Street Journal

I figured that I was going to say some stuff that was fairly unpopular.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023