populous

adjective

pop·​u·​lous ˈpä-pyə-ləs 

1

a

: densely populated

b

: having a large population

2

a

: numerous

b

: filled to capacity

populously adverb

populousness noun

Did you know?

With a metropolitan area of more than 20 million people, Mexico City could be called the world's second or third most populous city. And the nearby Aztec city of Tenochtitlán was one of the largest cities in the world even when Hernán Cortés arrived there in 1519. But by the time Cortés conquered the city in 1521 it wasn't nearly so populous, since European diseases had greatly reduced the population. Avoid confusing populous and populace, which are pronounced exactly the same.

Examples of populous in a Sentence

the most populous state in the U.S.

Recent Examples on the Web

With Texas being one of the most populous U.S. states, the prospect of colder than usual temperatures would be unwelcome news for many. —George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024

California, the most populous state in the U.S., continued to have the nation's largest homeless population, followed by New York, Washington, Florida and Massachusetts. —Michael Casey The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 28 Dec. 2024

This would include metropolitan Melbourne, Australia's second-most populous city. —Rebecca Falconer, Axios, 25 Dec. 2024

Andor is the largest, most populous, and most influential country within the heart of the Westlands, the fictional land depicted in Robert Jordan’s epic fantasy book series on which the television series is based. —Denise Petski, Deadline, 18 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English populous, populus, borrowed from Latin populōsus, from populus people entry 1 + -ōsus -ous

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

populous

adjective

pop·​u·​lous ˈpäp-yə-ləs 

: having a large population