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.

---

Etymology

Origin of popular culture

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, the Lucas idea confuses art culture with popular culture, bizarrely touting illustrated storytelling as “the peoples’ art.”

From Los Angeles Times

As is true of most great inventions, popular culture’s most effective Rorschach tests are entirely accidental, whereas the most meticulously planned weirdness tends to flop hardest.

From Salon

Perhaps rarest of all is that star who so permeates popular culture — who seems so part and parcel of the air we breathe — that they start naming molecular compounds after him.

From Washington Post

In popular culture, New York City is often portrayed as distinctly secular.

From Washington Post

These shifts lead people to wonder exactly whose values, languages, religions and opportunities are respected or promoted by the government, law and popular culture.

From Salon