unpopular

American

[uhn-pop-yuh-ler] / ʌnˈpɒp yə lər /

adjective

not popular; disliked or ignored by the public or by persons generally.
in disfavor with a particular person or group of persons.

unpopular British

/ ˌʌnpɒpjʊˈlærɪtɪ, ʌnˈpɒpjʊlə /

adjective

not popular with an individual or group of 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

unpopularity noun
unpopularly adverb

Etymology

Origin of unpopular

First recorded in 1640–50; un- ¹ + popular

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.

The crackdowns left the regime hugely unpopular among Venezuelans, opinion polls showed.

From The Wall Street Journal

A minister said: "It was unpopular and expensive. It should never have been announced without being costed first."

From BBC

The argument I hear within government is they are ditching the bit that is unpopular, but keeping something people might choose to use themselves because it could make accessing public services easier, for instance.

From BBC

Previous format changes have not always worked out, such as the highly unpopular "Seer" twist last year, which effectively made it impossible for one particular player to win, and removed the tension from the finale.

From BBC

When Wiener started pushing Yimby policies about 15 years ago, many of his ideas were unpopular and fringy.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023