popularity
AmericanOther Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of popularity
First recorded in 1540–50, popularity is from the Latin word populāritās a courting of popular favor. See popular, -ity
Explanation
Popularity is the quality of being well-liked and having a lot of friends and admirers. Winning a student council election isn't just about popularity — you also have to have good ideas and be willing to work hard. Having popularity means that there are many people in your corner, supporting or liking you. The popularity of an internet celebrity might disappear suddenly, while the popularity of your favorite writers and artists seems to last for generations. This kind of popularity implies being adored by people who don't even know you in person (the word comes from a Latin root meaning "the people"), while your popularity among your friends is a more personal type.
Vocabulary lists containing popularity
We the People: Popul
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Academy Awards, List 5
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popul (people)
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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:
No doubt this is partially due to Hoover’s extreme popularity, and Hathaway and Johnson’s bankability — those are fair elements to incorporate here.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
A further indication of the format's growing popularity saw the release of Christopher Nolan's film caused daily listening hours for The Odyssey to surge in France by 752 percent.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Over the past year, the popularity of prediction markets has skyrocketed.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
The popularity of Junior SIPPs has grown, industry figures show.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
His popularity was in part due to his strong physical presence.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
And while he’s happy for these books’ popularities, he says that some subjects may be better told by kids who also aren’t tasked with saving the world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026
We have seen extended popularities of “connect the dots,” “touching base,” “walking you through,” “deep dive,” “gain traction” and “circle back.”
From Washington Post ● Jul. 31, 2017
That is, the difference between the popularities of a given song in different “worlds” increased as the strength of social influence increased.
From Scientific American ● Jun. 18, 2013
To those who only care for the light popularities of the season, give Balfe and Verdi, Glover and Julien.
From Routledge's Manual of Etiquette by George Routledge
I never guessed how crowded up by popularities a poor author may be till I had crossed the Atlantic and reaped the kindness of Greater Britain.
From My Life as an Author by Martin Farquhar Tupper
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
