a supporter or adherent of populism.
(initial capital letter) a member of the People's party.
Also populistic. of, relating to, or characteristic of populism or its adherents.
(initial capital letter) Also Populistic. of or relating to the People's party.
An Americanism first recorded in 1890–95; from Latin popul(us) “people” ( cf. people, popular) + -ist
Use the noun populist to describe a person — especially a politician or activist — who works to give regular working people a voice in their government. In politics, the word populist refers to someone who puts ordinary people's rights above those of the wealthy and powerful. It is basically a synonym of democrat, which when spelled with a lower-case d is simply a person who believes in democratic principles of rule by the people, freedom, and equality. The root of populist is the Latin word for "people," populus.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Shaw has framed her campaign as a populist effort against a failed and self-interested status quo establishment.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
"He has shaped the image of the first populist president, the first acclaimed strongman of the 21st Century."
From BBC • May 30, 2026
“He’s a phenomenon of populist politics,” Toth said.
From Salon • May 29, 2026
As Capp explains, "This was a sort of populist political gesture, essentially inviting the moral support of the crowd."
From Science Daily • May 7, 2026
The tumult of 1848—the bloody populist revolutions that swept fiercely through France, Denmark, Germany, and Austria and overturned social, political, and religious orders—largely passed him by, like distant thunder.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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.
