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Synonyms

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.

Ahead of the February 8 general election, all three major parties offered various populist handouts and socioeconomic policies to boost the economy.

From Barron's

Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said Tuesday he would expect a “speed bump or recalibration or slowdown” at some point this year, and flagged the U.S. midterm elections and “populist uncertainty” potentially introducing new risks.

From The Wall Street Journal

A series of recent polls have also shown the populist One Nation Party - which only got 6% of the national vote last year - overtaking the Coalition to take second place behind Labor.

From BBC

From the outset, she aligned with the populist wing, having advised Vice President JD Vance during his time in the Senate, where he backed aggressive antitrust enforcement, particularly against big tech.

From The Wall Street Journal

Her tough talk on immigration appears, for now, to have slowed the sharp rise of the populist "Japanese first" Sanseito party, which did well in upper house elections last year.

From Barron's

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.