popular

adjective

pop·​u·​lar ˈpä-pyə-lər How to pronounce popular (audio)
1
: of or relating to the general public
2
: suitable to the majority: such as
a
: adapted to or indicative of the understanding and taste of the majority
a popular history of the war
b
: suited to the means of the majority : inexpensive
sold at popular prices
3
: frequently encountered or widely accepted
a popular theory
4
: commonly liked or approved
a very popular girl
popularly adverb
Choose the Right Synonym for popular

common, ordinary, plain, familiar, popular, vulgar mean generally met with and not in any way special, strange, or unusual.

common implies usual everyday quality or frequency of occurrence

a common error
lacked common honesty

and may additionally suggest inferiority or coarseness.

common manners

ordinary stresses conformance in quality or kind with the regular order of things.

an ordinary pleasant summer day
a very ordinary sort of man

plain is likely to suggest homely simplicity.

plain hard-working people

familiar stresses the fact of being generally known and easily recognized.

a familiar melody

popular applies to what is accepted by or prevalent among people in general sometimes in contrast to upper classes or special groups.

a writer of popular romances

vulgar, otherwise similar to popular, is likely to carry derogatory connotations (as of inferiority or coarseness).

souvenirs designed to appeal to the vulgar taste

Examples of popular in a Sentence

They have names that were popular a century ago. He is a popular guy in school. Spicy foods have become increasingly popular. That is a very popular misconception. The word “groovy” was popular in the 1960s but it's outdated now. Her theories are popular among social scientists. a popular history of physics
Recent Examples on the Web Korean food has risen as one of the most popular cuisines on TikTok and Instagram, according to a 2023 analysis of social media tags. Min Joo Kim, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2024 Russ Wiles Homeownership is one of the most popular ways that Americans build wealth over time, and retirement accounts are up there as well. The Arizona Republic, 24 Mar. 2024 That’s one of the main reasons spring has been the most popular season to buy a home. Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 24 Mar. 2024 In a partnership with specialty food manufacturer T. Marzetti Company, Subway will be introducing three of its most popular sauces to grocery stores nationwide, plus a fourth variety not sold at restaurants. Angela L. Pagán / The Takeout, Quartz, 24 Mar. 2024 The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 24 Mar. 2024 Trending Videos The most popular guy in all of southern Kenya has to be a 51-year-old named Craig. Paul Brady, Travel + Leisure, 23 Mar. 2024 The most popular tourist destination in South Korea fronted by the Dorasan Peace Park sits next to a road with a bridge loaded with C-4 explosives to block the route in case tanks stream in from North Korea. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Mar. 2024 The shop is popular with Guyanese Canadians seeking a taste of home, but word-of-mouth recommendations have expanded the clientele to include people of all ethnicities from across the city. Heather Greenwood Davis, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'popular.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin popularis, from populus the people, a people

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of popular was in 1548

Dictionary Entries Near popular

Cite this Entry

“Popular.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/popular. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

popular

adjective
pop·​u·​lar ˈpäp-yə-lər How to pronounce popular (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or coming from the whole body of people
popular government
2
: suitable for the average person (as in low price or ease of understanding)
popular prices
popular science
3
: generally current : prevalent
popular opinion
4
: commonly liked or approved
a popular teacher
popularity
ˌpäp-yə-ˈlar-ət-ē
noun
popularly adverb
Etymology

from Latin popularis "of the people," from populus "the people" — related to public

Legal Definition

popular

adjective
pop·​u·​lar
1
: of or relating to the general public
2
a
: of, relating to, or by the people (as of a nation or state) as a whole as distinguished from a specific class or group
b
: based on or alleged to be based on the will of the people

More from Merriam-Webster on popular

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!