populous
Americanadjective
-
full of residents or inhabitants, as a region; heavily populated.
-
jammed or crowded with people.
There's no more populous place than Times Square on New Year's Eve.
-
forming or comprising a large number or quantity.
Because of epidemics the tribes are not nearly so populous as they once were.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- nonpopulous adjective
- nonpopulously adverb
- nonpopulousness noun
- overpopulous adjective
- overpopulously adverb
- overpopulousness noun
- populously adverb
- populousness noun
- unpopulous adjective
- unpopulously adverb
- unpopulousness noun
Etymology
Origin of populous
1400–50; late Middle English populus < Latin populōsus. See people, -ous
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.
India's 16th census - the eighth since independence in 1947 - will also include caste data and is seen as crucial for policy, welfare delivery and political representation in the world's most populous country.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
Starmer welcomed Tinubu to Downing Street for talks on the second and last day of the first state visit by the leader of Africa's most populous nation to Britain in 37 years.
From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026
The revenue-share deal was agreed for Vena’s 204-megawatt Bellambi Heights battery energy storage system project in New South Wales, home to the city of Sydney and Australia’s most populous state.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
At the start of the two-day visit, the leaders of Africa's most populous country will be greeted by senior royals including Queen Camilla, and the Prince and Princess of Wales.
From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026
All but one of the world’s six most populous nations are melting pots that achieved political unification recently, and that still support hundreds of languages and ethnic groups.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
