popular
Americanadjective
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regarded with favor, approval, or affection by people in general.
a popular preacher.
- Synonyms:
- bookmark
-
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
-
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
Synonym Usage
See general.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of popular
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English populer, from Latin populāris; see 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.
Zverev is not the most popular champion to lift the trophy on Philippe-Chatrier Court.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026
Even if you never bore witness to that outrageous performance, its elemental alchemy vibrates in the band’s most popular songs, each of them calling to us with purpose.
From Salon • Jun. 7, 2026
Malta offers such programs and remains a popular destination despite growing European restrictions on citizenship-by-investment programs.
From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026
Today it has passed baseball and hockey to become the third-most popular sport in the U.S., according to a recent survey by the Economist.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
Her brown skin looks glossy today, probably from whatever moisturizer she’s being paid to promote on her wildly popular Instagram.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
