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 The word “groovy” was popular in the 1960s but it's outdated now.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

The company will, of course, be keeping with its super-popular Countdown to Christmas tradition. — Jennifer Aldrich, Country Living, "Hallmark Just Announced It Will Air a Record-Breaking 40 New Christmas Movies This Year," 4 Apr. 2019 But Gates had an ace the startup couldn’t match: Bundling Internet Explorer with Microsoft’s ultra-popular operating system Windows 95. — Matt Blitz, Popular Mechanics, "Later, Navigator: How Netscape Won and Then Lost the World Wide Web," 4 Apr. 2019 This is a popular choice for bedrooms or other private areas. — Lucia Tonelli, ELLE Decor, "Drapes or Curtains? Why Choosing the Right Window Treatment Matters," 27 Mar. 2019 The bun is black from the charcoal baked into the batter-a popular, if medically unproven, health craze-and a bit spongier. — Lucas Shaw, The Seattle Times, "From pig-shaped bao to ‘Pac Man’ dumplings, chefs now make dim sum for the Instagram generation," 25 Mar. 2019 Starting March 17 and lasting until April 6, this super-popular beauty retailer will offer two to three new deals each day, giving you ample chances to snag your favorites for up to 50 percent off. — Maria Cassano, Allure, "Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty Sale Is Coming — Here Are The Brands You Can Save On," 9 Mar. 2019 Since 1995, only seven books have held the top spot for longer, and four of them were from the super-popular Harry Potter series. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "Michelle Obama Got the Best News About Her Book 'Becoming' On Her Birthday," 17 Jan. 2019 The ever-popular Play Restaurant & Lounge at the H Hotel in Dubai recently contracted Mike Bagale, the former executive chef of Chicago's Michelin three-starred Alinea, to overhaul the menu. — Adam Robb, Condé Nast Traveler, "Behind the Scenes at Massimo Bottura's New Dubai Restaurant," 27 Dec. 2018 Overcast founder Marco Arment, whose iOS app is a popular third-party alternative, even went as far as to say RAD could violate Europe’s new GDPR privacy protections. — Ashley Carman, The Verge, "NPR wants to know what podcast ads you skip," 27 Dec. 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.