pop·u·list
ˈpä-pyə-list 
1
: a member of a political party claiming to represent the common people
especially, often capitalized
: a member of a U.S. political party formed in 1891 primarily to represent agrarian interests and to advocate the free coinage of silver and government control of monopolies
2
: a believer in the rights, wisdom, or virtues of the common people
1
often capitalized
: of, relating to, or characterized by populism
2
a
b
Examples of populist in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Vasco Cotovio, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024
The other a Republican factory worker who turned turned into a right-wing populist with brash deliveries on about culture war issues.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2024
Supporters of Bolsonaro, a populist often likened to former President Donald Trump, invaded and ransacked Brazil’s presidential palace, Supreme Court and Congress calling for a military coup on Jan. 8, 2023, a week after Lula took office.
—Reuters, NBC News, 26 Feb. 2024
Maybe even the Bannon-style populists would like it.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
Throughout his time in power, Thaksin was hugely popular with Thailand’s rural and working class but his policies were anathema to the rich elites and conservatives who accused him of being a dangerous and corrupt populist.
—Kocha Olarn, CNN, 17 Feb. 2024
Hix is co-author of a report for the European Council on Foreign Relations that predicts that anti-EU populists will probably top the polls in nine member states in the European parliamentary elections in June.
—Nayla Razzouk, Fortune Europe, 13 Feb. 2024
Today, the same question arises about taking power out of the hands of Poland’s national populists.
—Foreign Affairs, 12 Mar. 2024
Part of the explanation, analysts said, was that dark memories of a right-wing dictatorship that fell in 1974 kept populists at bay.
—Catarina Fernandes Martins, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
Jonathan Mahler Edoardo Ballerini Emma Kehlbeck Joel Thibodeau, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2024
As Manus sees it, Trump ripped the scab off the wound of festering populist disenchantment.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024
Lenny Jones, the president of the Missouri and Kansas branch of the SEIU, which represents service workers, said Hawley’s talk about workers has been able to peel off workers who may have once supported Democrats by using populist rhetoric.
—Daniel Desrochers, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
Gripes like these are fueling a populist internet meme across Instagram, Threads and TikTok.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2024
Some analysts fear that expanding the EU’s security role would invite a populist backlash.
—Max Bergmann, Foreign Affairs, 21 Mar. 2024
Fiala’s predecessor, Andrej Babis, is similarly aligned with Fico’s camp, a populist wary of E.U. diktat and more friendly to Moscow.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024
Chumbawamba’s members want the populist politician to stop all references to the song.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 20 Mar. 2024
The victor will run in November against Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat with a long-standing brand as a populist, working-class advocate facing stiff headwinds in the Republican-friendly state.
—Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024
Noun
While populists like Marine Le Pen in France or Matteo Salvini in Italy made huge gains nearly a decade ago, in Portugal, that surge didn’t happen straight away.
—Vasco Cotovio, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024
The other a Republican factory worker who turned turned into a right-wing populist with brash deliveries on about culture war issues.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2024
Supporters of Bolsonaro, a populist often likened to former President Donald Trump, invaded and ransacked Brazil’s presidential palace, Supreme Court and Congress calling for a military coup on Jan. 8, 2023, a week after Lula took office.
—Reuters, NBC News, 26 Feb. 2024
Maybe even the Bannon-style populists would like it.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
Throughout his time in power, Thaksin was hugely popular with Thailand’s rural and working class but his policies were anathema to the rich elites and conservatives who accused him of being a dangerous and corrupt populist.
—Kocha Olarn, CNN, 17 Feb. 2024
Hix is co-author of a report for the European Council on Foreign Relations that predicts that anti-EU populists will probably top the polls in nine member states in the European parliamentary elections in June.
—Nayla Razzouk, Fortune Europe, 13 Feb. 2024
Today, the same question arises about taking power out of the hands of Poland’s national populists.
—Foreign Affairs, 12 Mar. 2024
Part of the explanation, analysts said, was that dark memories of a right-wing dictatorship that fell in 1974 kept populists at bay.
—Catarina Fernandes Martins, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Scholars who have spent their careers studying populist movements are not confused about what to expect.
—Jonathan Mahler Edoardo Ballerini Emma Kehlbeck Joel Thibodeau, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2024
As Manus sees it, Trump ripped the scab off the wound of festering populist disenchantment.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024
Lenny Jones, the president of the Missouri and Kansas branch of the SEIU, which represents service workers, said Hawley’s talk about workers has been able to peel off workers who may have once supported Democrats by using populist rhetoric.
—Daniel Desrochers, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
Gripes like these are fueling a populist internet meme across Instagram, Threads and TikTok.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2024
Some analysts fear that expanding the EU’s security role would invite a populist backlash.
—Max Bergmann, Foreign Affairs, 21 Mar. 2024
Fiala’s predecessor, Andrej Babis, is similarly aligned with Fico’s camp, a populist wary of E.U. diktat and more friendly to Moscow.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024
Chumbawamba’s members want the populist politician to stop all references to the song.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 20 Mar. 2024
The victor will run in November against Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat with a long-standing brand as a populist, working-class advocate facing stiff headwinds in the Republican-friendly state.
—Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'populist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Populist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/populist. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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