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.
Yet Wall Street’s main focus was on the potential for a very unpopular war to start winding down.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
Against the backdrop of an unpopular war in Iran, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced on July 15, 2026, that the Pentagon would begin testing male service members 30 and older for low testosterone.
From Salon ● Nov. 4, 2026
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
Investors might do better buying sector funds in unpopular industries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
I had linked myself to an unpopular person.
From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli
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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.
