pop·u·list
ˈpä-pyə-list 
1
: a member of a political party claiming to represent the common people
especially, often capitalized
: a member of a U.S. political party formed in 1891 primarily to represent agrarian interests and to advocate the free coinage of silver and government control of monopolies
2
: a believer in the rights, wisdom, or virtues of the common people
1
often capitalized
: of, relating to, or characterized by populism
2
a
b
Examples of populist in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
Testimony from senior military commanders published last month implicated Bolsonaro, a Donald Trump–style populist, in a coup attempt.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
In late 2023, voters in Argentina and the Netherlands elected right-wing populists promising dramatic changes.
—TIME, 18 Mar. 2024
While populists like Marine Le Pen in France or Matteo Salvini in Italy made huge gains nearly a decade ago, in Portugal, that surge didn’t happen straight away.
—Vasco Cotovio, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024
The other a Republican factory worker who turned turned into a right-wing populist with brash deliveries on about culture war issues.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2024
Supporters of Bolsonaro, a populist often likened to former President Donald Trump, invaded and ransacked Brazil’s presidential palace, Supreme Court and Congress calling for a military coup on Jan. 8, 2023, a week after Lula took office.
—Reuters, NBC News, 26 Feb. 2024
Maybe even the Bannon-style populists would like it.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
Throughout his time in power, Thaksin was hugely popular with Thailand’s rural and working class but his policies were anathema to the rich elites and conservatives who accused him of being a dangerous and corrupt populist.
—Kocha Olarn, CNN, 17 Feb. 2024
Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 18 Apr. 2024
Hawley has been trying to help built the populist wing of the Republican Party, mixing a culturally conservative message with support for private sector unions (but not public sector unions).
—Daniel Desrochers, Kansas City Star, 15 Apr. 2024
The allegations against Section 702 by Trump and a mix of populist, libertarian, and leftist critics are mostly bogus.
—The Editors, National Review, 12 Apr. 2024
Far-right and populist parties, some of whom are considered sympathetic to the Kremlin, are expected to make gains at the European Parliament elections.
—Luke McGee, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
The populist president started his four-day trip in Miami, home to Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi and among the largest populations of Argentines in the U.S., where the Chabad-Lubavitch sect of Hasidic Judaism will honor him at a local synagogue.
—Isabel Debre, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024
For all Trump’s populist rhetoric in 2016, his presidency proved to be business-friendly.
—Rebecca Davis O’Brien, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Scholars who have spent their careers studying populist movements are not confused about what to expect.
—Jonathan Mahler Edoardo Ballerini Emma Kehlbeck Joel Thibodeau, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2024
As Manus sees it, Trump ripped the scab off the wound of festering populist disenchantment.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024
Noun
All are populists bolstered by online armies that have been accused of spreading disinformation.
—Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
Testimony from senior military commanders published last month implicated Bolsonaro, a Donald Trump–style populist, in a coup attempt.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
In late 2023, voters in Argentina and the Netherlands elected right-wing populists promising dramatic changes.
—TIME, 18 Mar. 2024
While populists like Marine Le Pen in France or Matteo Salvini in Italy made huge gains nearly a decade ago, in Portugal, that surge didn’t happen straight away.
—Vasco Cotovio, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024
The other a Republican factory worker who turned turned into a right-wing populist with brash deliveries on about culture war issues.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2024
Supporters of Bolsonaro, a populist often likened to former President Donald Trump, invaded and ransacked Brazil’s presidential palace, Supreme Court and Congress calling for a military coup on Jan. 8, 2023, a week after Lula took office.
—Reuters, NBC News, 26 Feb. 2024
Maybe even the Bannon-style populists would like it.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
Throughout his time in power, Thaksin was hugely popular with Thailand’s rural and working class but his policies were anathema to the rich elites and conservatives who accused him of being a dangerous and corrupt populist.
—Kocha Olarn, CNN, 17 Feb. 2024
Adjective
The decision to support Ukraine at all has angered populist conservatives in the House and given new energy to a threat to remove him from the speaker's office.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 18 Apr. 2024
Hawley has been trying to help built the populist wing of the Republican Party, mixing a culturally conservative message with support for private sector unions (but not public sector unions).
—Daniel Desrochers, Kansas City Star, 15 Apr. 2024
The allegations against Section 702 by Trump and a mix of populist, libertarian, and leftist critics are mostly bogus.
—The Editors, National Review, 12 Apr. 2024
Far-right and populist parties, some of whom are considered sympathetic to the Kremlin, are expected to make gains at the European Parliament elections.
—Luke McGee, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
The populist president started his four-day trip in Miami, home to Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi and among the largest populations of Argentines in the U.S., where the Chabad-Lubavitch sect of Hasidic Judaism will honor him at a local synagogue.
—Isabel Debre, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024
For all Trump’s populist rhetoric in 2016, his presidency proved to be business-friendly.
—Rebecca Davis O’Brien, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Scholars who have spent their careers studying populist movements are not confused about what to expect.
—Jonathan Mahler Edoardo Ballerini Emma Kehlbeck Joel Thibodeau, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2024
As Manus sees it, Trump ripped the scab off the wound of festering populist disenchantment.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'populist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Populist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/populist. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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