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.
Trump has also endorsed raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans as a way to pay for his other priorities – a proposal that is deeply unpopular among most congressional Republicans. Riley Beggin, USA Today, 10 May 2025 Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), helmed by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, has also proved to be unpopular in Democratic and Republican districts. Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025 Munir has to do much more than what Bajwa did, because Bajwa is pretty unpopular, in Pakistan’s Army and otherwise, because he is seen as someone who was almost bending over backward to be friendly with India and got nothing from India in return. Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 9 May 2025 Interestingly, even offline, those who thought their views were unpopular were far less likely to express themselves. Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 6 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unpopular.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unpopular. Accessed 15 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!