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

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

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

Las Vegas also finds its own ways to commemorate its marks on history and popular culture — another way it’s proved useful for filming.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Kelly continued to promote classical dancing in popular culture, producing a television special, “Dancing: A Man’s Game,” in 1958; he choreographed “Pas de Dieux” for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1960.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Her government is trying to sever the link between popular culture and the criminal underworld, denouncing narcocorridos, songs which glorify criminals, as well as tackling crime head on.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Speros’s extemporaneous opening act was to decide which figures from popular culture we looked like: DiPaola was Bart Simpson, Chavez was Zorro, Dimmie was a soul singer from the 1970s.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover