popular
Americanadjective
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regarded with favor, approval, or affection by people in general.
a popular preacher.
- Synonyms:
- bookmark
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regarded with favor, approval, or affection by an acquaintance or acquaintances.
He's not very popular with me just now.
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of, relating to, or representing the people, especially the common people.
popular discontent.
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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.
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prevailing among the people generally.
a popular superstition.
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suited to or intended for the general masses of people.
popular music.
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adapted to the ordinary intelligence or taste.
popular lectures on science.
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suited to the means of ordinary people; not expensive.
popular prices on all tickets.
adjective
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appealing to the general public; widely favoured or admired
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favoured by an individual or limited group
I'm not very popular with her
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connected with, representing, or prevailing among the general public; common
popular discontent
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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
Explanation
The adjective popular describes something that is well-liked or admired by a lot of people. Sometimes when you read a bestselling novel, you wonder why it's so popular. Popular comes from the Latin word populus, which means people. Anything that is popular is liked by many people. When you're talking about popular music or art, you may sometimes shorten the word popular to "pop," as in pop music or pop culture. Popular also describes things by or for the people, or the general population, such as the popular vote or a popular revolt.
Vocabulary lists containing popular
We the People: Popul
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"Sports in America"
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Introduction to Fiction
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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.
And so, for months now, Platner has been one of the least popular people on the platform.
From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026
"There is full assurance that the results will faithfully reflect the popular will."
From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026
Politicians, from the early 20th century dictator Porfirio Díaz to the highly popular previous President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, have long shared cultural space with entertainers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
No doubt Russo and his fictive alter-ego have heard the popular prescriptions for curing arrested development—empathy, vulnerability, emotional intelligence.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
She was popular and had her own big bunch of friends that had never included me.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
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.
