popular culture

American  

[pop-yuh-ler kuhl-cher] / ˈpɒp jə 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

See Examples For:

popular culture

Already well established as a singer, 9 To 5, external brought Parton over into the mainstream popular culture.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Older audiences, however, are mystified by what some see as a dumbing down of popular culture.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

Although NeXT’s presence in popular culture was overshadowed by Apple, the DNA of its operating system, NEXTSTEP, became the foundation for Apple’s products, from Macs to iPhones.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Predictably, the outspoken sports pundit, who also weighs in with sharp takes on politics and popular culture, is not pleased with the assessment and is planning a fiery response: “Now y’all started something.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 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