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

California is the nation’s most populous state and is home to a significant portion of the country’s homeless individuals. —Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 13 May 2025

For example, in 7 out of the 10 most populous U.S. states, public universities were the biggest economic beneficiaries (tuition and cost of living expenditures) from the enrollment of foreign students according to a study by NAFSA. —Paul Weinstein Jr, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025

In California, President Trump has pushed aside Governor Gavin Newsom and has driven the nation’s most populous state toward something approaching sanity. —Will Swaim, National Review, 6 May 2025

The big picture: Minnesota ranks fourth in the nation for annual fishing license sales, trailing only more populous (and coastal) states of California, Florida and Texas, Department of Natural Resources commissioner Sarah Strommen told reporters. —Torey Van Oot, Axios, 2 May 2025

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

Rhymes for populous

• populace
• populus

Kids Definition

populous

adjective

pop·​u·​lous ˈpäp-yə-ləs 

: having a large population