pop·u·lar·ize
ˈpä-pyə-lə-ˌrīz 
popularized; popularizing
: to cater to popular taste
: to make popular: such as
a
: to cause to be liked or esteemed
a sitcom that popularized the phrase
b
: to present in generally understandable or interesting form
a popularized version of American history
pop·u·lar·iza·tion
variants
also British popularisation
ˌ⸗⸗lərə̇ˈzāshən,
-ˌrīˈ-
plural -s
1
: an act of popularizing or the state of being popularized
with the popularization of the buggy … a demand rose for light harness—
V. S. Clark
V. S. Clark2
: something that is popularized
especially
: a publication in terms comprehensible to the average man
divides the true folk tale from the popularization and that in turn from the work of art —Yale Review
Yale Review Examples of popularize in a Sentence
Verb
a phrase that was popularized by its use in a hit TV show
Dream analysis was popularized by Sigmund Freud.
The book presents a popularized version of American history.
Recent Examples on the Web
Annie Blay-Tettey, Allure, 18 June 2026
The pair were later joined in business by their brother, Max, and grew the business into a bustling European textile and fashion hub, even helping to popularize the dirndl in Germany.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 18 June 2026
Robert Morris, who popularized performance-lectures in the 1960s, was a quintessential category-defying artist.
—Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 16 June 2026
The shutdown marks a dramatic fall for a chain founded in Dallas in 1982 that helped popularize Tex-Mex dining across the country.
—Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 16 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for popularize
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Verb
And her muse, of course, is South African pop singer Tyla, who has popularized the look.
—Annie Blay-Tettey, Allure, 18 June 2026
The pair were later joined in business by their brother, Max, and grew the business into a bustling European textile and fashion hub, even helping to popularize the dirndl in Germany.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 18 June 2026
Robert Morris, who popularized performance-lectures in the 1960s, was a quintessential category-defying artist.
—Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 16 June 2026
The shutdown marks a dramatic fall for a chain founded in Dallas in 1982 that helped popularize Tex-Mex dining across the country.
—Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 16 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for popularize
Cite this Entry
“Popularize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/popularize. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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