Synonyms

popular culture

American

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

noun

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

popular culture

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

It can be incredibly uniting, but at the same time it sits at the heart of popular culture.

From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026

Eddington’s painstaking publicity campaign launched the theory of relativity into popular culture and its father, Albert Einstein, into a life of international renown.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023