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populist

American  
[pop-yuh-list] / ˈpɒp yə lɪst /

noun

  1. a supporter or adherent of populism.

  2. (initial capital letter) a member of the People's party.

adjective

  1. Also populistic. of, relating to, or characteristic of populism or its adherents.

  2. (initial capital letter) Also Populistic. of or relating to the People's party.

Populist 1 British  
/ ˈpɒpjʊlɪst /

noun

  1. history a member of the People's Party, formed largely by agrarian interests to contest the 1892 presidential election. The movement gradually dissolved after the 1904 election

"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

adjective

  1. of, characteristic of, or relating to the People's Party, the Populists, or any individual or movement with similar aims

"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
populist 2 British  
/ ˈpɒpjʊlɪst /

adjective

  1. appealing to the interests or prejudices of ordinary people

"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. a person, esp a politician, who appeals to the interests or prejudices of ordinary people

"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

Other Word Forms

  • Populism noun
  • anti-populist noun

Etymology

Origin of populist

An Americanism first recorded in 1890–95; from Latin popul(us) “people” ( people, popular ) + -ist

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.

“Rural people are progressive economic populists,” argued Sarah Jayne, executive director of the Heartland Fund, which pursues climate-repairing partnerships with rural communities.

From Salon

Adams’s maneuver represents a setback for a cornerstone of Mamdani’s populist campaign.

From The Wall Street Journal

Two top Federal Reserve officials — one a more populist outsider and the other at the ideological center at the central bank — find themselves in agreement on at least one issue.

From MarketWatch

Two top Federal Reserve officials — one a more populist outsider and the other at the ideological center at the central bank — find themselves in agreement on at least one issue.

From MarketWatch

But the fight has given the first signals of populist opposition to technology that holds the promise of eliminating lots of jobs.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.