unpopular

adjective

un·​pop·​u·​lar ˌən-ˈpä-pyə-lər How to pronounce unpopular (audio)
: not popular : viewed or received unfavorably by the public
unpopularity noun
unpopularly adverb

Examples of unpopular in a Sentence

I was unpopular in high school. Her third album has been unpopular with fans. Recent conflicts have made him unpopular among the staff.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Owner David Rubenstein has rightly been hailed as a breath of fresh air after decades of the unpopular and unsuccessful Angelos regime. Paul Bledsoe, Baltimore Sun, 21 May 2025 Public polling has been showing that Musk's DOGE effort is unpopular, with voters disapproving of Musk more so than Trump. Bobby Allyn, NPR, 20 May 2025 He’s avoided taking unpopular steps to slow the growth of the biggest items in the budget, Social Security and Medicare, and pursued voter-friendly but costly tax cuts instead. Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 20 May 2025 The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), the sweeping tax cuts Republicans passed in the first year of Trump’s first term, capped the deduction at $10,000, which has been politically unpopular. Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for unpopular

Word History

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unpopular was in 1614

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Cite this Entry

“Unpopular.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unpopular. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

unpopular

adjective
un·​pop·​u·​lar ˌən-ˈpäp-yə-lər How to pronounce unpopular (audio)
ˈən-
: not popular : disliked by many people

More from Merriam-Webster on unpopular

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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