popular

adjective

pop·​u·​lar ˈpä-pyə-lər 

1

: of or relating to the general public

2

: suitable to the majority: such as

a

: adapted to or indicative of the understanding and taste of the majority

a popular history of the war

b

: suited to the means of the majority : inexpensive

sold at popular prices

3

: frequently encountered or widely accepted

a popular theory

4

: commonly liked or approved

a very popular girl

popularly adverb

Synonyms

• big
• crowd-pleasing
• du jour
• faddish
• faddy
• fashionable
• favorite
• happening
• hot
• in
• large
• modish
• pop
• popularized
• red-hot
• vogue
• voguish

Choose the Right Synonym for popular

common, ordinary, plain, familiar, popular, vulgar mean generally met with and not in any way special, strange, or unusual.

common implies usual everyday quality or frequency of occurrence

a common error

lacked common honesty

and may additionally suggest inferiority or coarseness.

common manners

ordinary stresses conformance in quality or kind with the regular order of things.

an ordinary pleasant summer day

a very ordinary sort of man

plain is likely to suggest homely simplicity.

plain hard-working people

familiar stresses the fact of being generally known and easily recognized.

a familiar melody

popular applies to what is accepted by or prevalent among people in general sometimes in contrast to upper classes or special groups.

a writer of popular romances

vulgar, otherwise similar to popular, is likely to carry derogatory connotations (as of inferiority or coarseness).

souvenirs designed to appeal to the vulgar taste

Examples of popular in a Sentence

They have names that were popular a century ago.

He is a popular guy in school.

Spicy foods have become increasingly popular.

That is a very popular misconception.

The word “groovy” was popular in the 1960s but it's outdated now.

Her theories are popular among social scientists.

a popular history of physics

Recent Examples on the Web

By Anderson Cooper April 17, 2024 7:03 AM EDT Like Ginger Rogers dancing backwards and in heels, Kelly Ripa makes co-hosting one of the most popular daytime talk shows on TV look effortless. —Kelly Ripa, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024

On Tuesday, the Writers Guild of America announced that the writers of Sesame Workshop, who produce the widely popular show Sesame Street, unanimously voted to strike. —Chloe Berger, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024

Hoosiers on set:These popular TV shows are all set in Indiana. —The Indianapolis Star, 17 Apr. 2024

From now until Saturday, April 20, shoppers can score up to 50 percent off on the retailer’s top-selling beauty, skincare, and hair products from popular brands like Fenty Beauty, Tarte, It Cosmetics, and so much more. —Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 17 Apr. 2024

The company, which acquired mobile game publisher Zynga in 2022, is also home to popular game franchises such as Grand Theft Auto, NBA 2K, WWE 2K and Red Dead. —Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024

Over the last several years, Republican members of the committee have blocked a number of popular projects without holding public meetings to inform applicants why funding was denied. —Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2024

While the Amalfi Coast is popular with tourists, particularly in the summertime, the most searched for city worldwide on Airbnb this summer is Paris, the host of the 2024 Olympic Games. —Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2024

So this is an idea that’s become very popular for a variety of reasons of why people get an ADU. —David Caraccio, Sacramento Bee, 5 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin popularis, from populus the people, a people

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing popular

• anti-popular
• by popular demand
• contrary to popular belief
• contrary to popular opinion
• popular demand
• popular front
• popular sovereignty
• popular taste

Kids Definition

popular

adjective

pop·​u·​lar ˈpäp-yə-lər 

1

: of, relating to, or coming from the whole body of people

popular government

2

: suitable for the average person (as in low price or ease of understanding)

popular prices

popular science

3

: generally current : prevalent

popular opinion

4

: commonly liked or approved

a popular teacher

popularity

ˌpäp-yə-ˈlar-ət-ē

noun

popularly adverb

Etymology

from Latin popularis "of the people," from populus "the people" — related to public

Legal Definition

popular

adjective

pop·​u·​lar

1

: of or relating to the general public

2

a

: of, relating to, or by the people (as of a nation or state) as a whole as distinguished from a specific class or group

b

: based on or alleged to be based on the will of the people