popularity contest
noun
: a contest or situation in which the person who wins or is most successful is the one who is most popular rather than the one who is most skillful, qualified, etc.
The election was just a popularity contest. Voters didn't really care about the issues.
—often used to say that someone or something is not popularAfter laying off hundreds of workers, the company isn't going to win any popularity contests around here.
Examples of popularity contest in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Metaphor makes politics a literal popularity contest, where candidates compete against each other to become the new king by winning the favor of the people.
—
Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 8 Oct. 2024
Bowl selection has always been a popularity contest, and given the intense television and business interest in having Deion Sanders, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter at their game, CU would be a desirable pick even if the win-jumping rule didn’t apply.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 7 Dec. 2024
The pooch popularity contest brought in 12.2 million viewers across all platforms — a gain of 5% from last year.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 30 Nov. 2024
Scott sure knows how to win statewide elections, but a popularity contest?
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 Nov. 2024
The Influencer This attention-seeking battle of the personal brands is exactly what its title implies: a popularity contest in which 77 real-life influencers duke it out for clout (both online and with one another).
—Laura Bradley, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
Among the decisions ahead that could lose Lurie a popularity contest: tackling a budget crisis that could require deep cuts across departments; stabilizing a financially unstable city schools system; and curbing an addiction crisis that resulted in more than 800 fatal overdoses last year.
—Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2024
Think this will be just another popularity contest?
—South Florida Sun Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, 6 June 2024
Based on Robert Harris’s 2016 novel, Conclave, in theaters now, follows the titular process of electing a new pope, a secretive task that the film suggests is mostly a popularity contest full of rumormongering and backstabbing.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 8 Oct. 2024
Bowl selection has always been a popularity contest, and given the intense television and business interest in having Deion Sanders, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter at their game, CU would be a desirable pick even if the win-jumping rule didn’t apply.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 7 Dec. 2024
The pooch popularity contest brought in 12.2 million viewers across all platforms — a gain of 5% from last year.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 30 Nov. 2024
Scott sure knows how to win statewide elections, but a popularity contest?
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 Nov. 2024
The Influencer This attention-seeking battle of the personal brands is exactly what its title implies: a popularity contest in which 77 real-life influencers duke it out for clout (both online and with one another).
—Laura Bradley, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
Among the decisions ahead that could lose Lurie a popularity contest: tackling a budget crisis that could require deep cuts across departments; stabilizing a financially unstable city schools system; and curbing an addiction crisis that resulted in more than 800 fatal overdoses last year.
—Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2024
Think this will be just another popularity contest?
—South Florida Sun Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, 6 June 2024
Based on Robert Harris’s 2016 novel, Conclave, in theaters now, follows the titular process of electing a new pope, a secretive task that the film suggests is mostly a popularity contest full of rumormongering and backstabbing.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2024
Dictionary Entries Near popularity contest
Cite this Entry
“Popularity contest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/popularity%20contest. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share