popularize

especially British, pop·u·lar·ise

[pop-yuh-luh-rahyz]

verb (used with object)

popularized, popularizing 

1. to make popular.

   to popularize a dance.

popularize

/ ˈpɒpjʊləˌraɪz /

verb

1. to make popular; make attractive to the general public

2. to make or cause to become easily understandable or acceptable

Other Word Forms

• popularization noun
• popularizer noun
• antipopularization adjective
• depopularize verb (used with object)
• repopularization noun
• repopularize verb (used with object)
• semipopularized adjective
• unpopularized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of popularize¹

First recorded in 1585–95; popular + -ize

Example Sentences

Doda was credited with widely popularizing topless dancing, with her dazzling onstage persona, and gained worldwide fame through her act in the 1960s and ’70s.

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But in Nixon’s wake, partisan media activists like former Fox News executive Roger Ailes and radio host Rush Limbaugh continued to popularize the idea of “liberal media bias” within the conservative movement.

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The concept seems to date back to the 1830s, when it was reportedly popularized by British minister John Nelson Darby.

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It was a punishment imported from Europe and popularized by the Sons of Liberty in the late 1760s, Colonial activists who resisted British rule.

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Like it or not, fashion has become a key vehicle for popularizing art and design history.

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Related Words

• catch on 
• disseminate 
• promote 
• revive 
• simplify