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Synonyms

popular

American  
[pop-yuh-ler] / ˈpɒp yə lər /

adjective

  1. regarded with favor, approval, or affection by people in general.

    a popular preacher.

    Synonyms:
    bookmark
  2. regarded with favor, approval, or affection by an acquaintance or acquaintances.

    He's not very popular with me just now.

  3. of, relating to, or representing the people, especially the common people.

    popular discontent.

  4. 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.

  5. prevailing among the people generally.

    a popular superstition.

    Synonyms:
    current, common
  6. suited to or intended for the general masses of people.

    popular music.

  7. adapted to the ordinary intelligence or taste.

    popular lectures on science.

  8. suited to the means of ordinary people; not expensive.

    popular prices on all tickets.


popular British  
/ ˈpɒpjʊlə, ˌpɒpjʊˈlærɪtɪ /

adjective

  1. appealing to the general public; widely favoured or admired

  2. favoured by an individual or limited group

    I'm not very popular with her

  3. connected with, representing, or prevailing among the general public; common

    popular discontent

  4. appealing to or comprehensible to the layman

    a popular lecture on physics

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. Also shortened to: pops(usually plural) cheap newspapers with mass circulation; the popular press

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See general.

Other Word Forms

  • antipopular adjective
  • nonpopular adjective
  • overpopular adjective
  • popularity noun
  • pseudopopular adjective
  • quasi-popular adjective
  • semipopular adjective

Etymology

Origin of popular

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English populer, from Latin populāris; people, -ar 1

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.

Looking ahead to next week, the earnings calendar remains active, and the table below shows the more popular and volatile stocks that are reporting.

From MarketWatch

The addition of Scarratt will likely be popular with the England players, but Scarratt has not been given the job permanently yet.

From BBC

But it has also received a boost from an ongoing rise in U.S. demand for peptide-based hormones used in popular weight-loss drugs.

From The Wall Street Journal

Classical training came early - he learnt tabla alongside vocal training - but so did exposure to popular music.

From BBC

Toyota said gains were led by Japan and the U.S., where gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles remained popular.

From The Wall Street Journal