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The word “groovy” was popular in the 1960s but it's outdated now.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

Daly was hyper-popular then, but Daly should have been DQ’ed, too.

— marcus hayes, Philly.com, "Phil Mickelson should be gone but officials turn a blind eye at the U.S. Open | Marcus Hayes," 16 June 2018
So what’s the meaning behind the newly-popular shape?

— jillian ruffo, PEOPLE.com, "Ariana Grande Isn't the Only Celeb with a Pear-Shaped Engagement Ring – Here's Why It's the Hot Style of 2018," 14 June 2018
The world's second-most popular cryptocurrency isn't an investment vehicle, at least according to the Securities and Exchange commission.

— louise matsakis, WIRED, "Rest Easy, Cryptocurrency Fans: Ether and Bitcoin Aren't Securities," 14 June 2018
Solidor’s songbook drew from the then-popular genre of tragic seafaring chansons.

— elisabeth vincentelli, New York Times, "Review: Savoring ‘One Night’ With a Hedonist Extraordinaire," 13 June 2018
Jonathan Bronzi, a Glastonbury farmer who sells produce at the market, said the once-popular weekend farmers’ vegetable and flower market has seen a dramatic decline over the years.

— gregory b. hladky, courant.com, "Decline Of Hartford Regional Market Linked To State Fiscal Woes," 12 June 2018
By 2050, researchers estimate Islam will supplant Judaism as the second-most popular religion in the country with 8.1 million Muslims ultimately making up 2.1 percent of the population.

— fiza pirani, ajc, "Nearly 1-in-5 Americans would deny Muslim American citizens the right to vote, new report finds," 11 June 2018
Baderbrau Brewing launched in 2012 as a sequel to a once-popular craft brand that was founded in 1989.

— josh noel, chicagotribune.com, "Baderbrau Brewing for sale, no longer making beer, as craft beer industry tightens," 8 June 2018
Fried-to-order catfish, chicken and pork chops come straight from the kitchen, as do specials like white beans (Tuesday and Wednesday only) and red beans (Thursday and Friday), and the always-popular stuffed catfish.

— brett anderson, NOLA.com, "Yes indeed, Lord: Queen's Cuisine, where everything comes from the heart," 6 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'popular.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of popular

Latin popularis, from populus the people, a people

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1548

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

popular Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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

Other Sociology Terms

bourgeois, ethos, eugenics, exurb, incommunicado, intelligentsia, megalopolis, metrosexual, mores, subculture

POPULAR Defined for English Language Learners

Definition of popular for English Language Learners

: liked or enjoyed by many people
: accepted, followed, used, or done by many people
: of, relating to, or coming from most of the people in a country, society, or group

POPULAR Defined for Kids

Definition of popular for Students

1 : of or relating to most of the people in a country or area

the popular vote

popular culture

2 : enjoyed or approved by many people

a popular game

3 : frequently encountered or widely accepted

popular opinion

—

popularly

adverb

a popularly held belief

Word Root of popular

The Latin word populus, meaning “people,” gives us the root popul. Words from the Latin populus have something to do with people. A population is the group of people living in a particular place. Anything popular is common among or enjoyed by many people. A place that is populous has many people living in it.