popular culture

American  

[pop-yuh-ler kuhl-cher] / ˈpɒp yə lər ˈkʌl tʃər /

noun

1. cultural and commercial artifacts, media, and entertainment reflecting, suited to, or aimed at the tastes of the general masses of people.

   Most artists are influenced by a variety of external sources, including popular culture.

   The actor's role in the series made her an important figure in popular culture.

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Etymology

Origin of popular culture

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

Jerald “Coop” Cooper is an artist and founder of Hood Century, a media agency researching, archiving and educating the masses on Black folks lived experience with the city, via architecture, design and popular culture.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

Secular and Christian popular culture swim in opposing halves of divided entertainment waters, despite broadcast TV’s lengthy history of featuring Christian-leaning shows.

From Salon • Mar. 29, 2026

Each newly discovered species must be given a scientific name, and researchers often draw inspiration from people, experiences, or even popular culture.

From Science Daily • Mar. 25, 2026

The wolf-raven relationship is sometimes described in popular culture as harmonious, but Marzluff said it's ultimately pretty lopsided.

From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026

As with all timeprints, the late twentieth century—defined here as 1980 to 1999—developed its own slang, some of which evolved from earlier timeprints, and others that were influenced by popular culture, primarily music.

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly