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 The word “groovy” was popular in the 1960s but it's outdated now.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

Getty ImagesStefania D'Alessandro Game of Thrones has easily been one of the most popular and buzz-worthy shows of the last decade, and sadly the show will be coming to a close with its eighth season this spring. — Amanda Mitchell, Marie Claire, "HBO Just Dropped a Ton of Juicy 'Game of Thrones' Prequel Details," 8 Jan. 2019 So Juuling, while popular at the moment, is not cool. — Julia Belluz, Vox, "7 bad science and health ideas that should die with 2018," 26 Dec. 2018 Also known as the first wedding anniversary flower, the carnation is a popular and fragrant flower often given at weddings and on Mother's Day. — Chanel Vargas, Town & Country, "12 Best Valentine's Day Flower Arrangements for That Special Someone," 18 Dec. 2018 Although less popular, Robusta tastes slightly more bitter and contains more caffeine. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "21 Surprising Coffee Facts That Will Perk Up Your Afternoon," 3 Dec. 2018 At the time, short hair wasn't popular in the Korean-girl-group world, so Young was admittedly scared. — Devon Abelman, Allure, "How Beauty Keeps Tiffany Young True to Her K-Pop Roots," 9 Nov. 2018 Himalayan salt lamps are a popular and easy-to-find home accent that offer the same purifying effects on a smaller scale. — Alyssa Nassner, Curbed, "Cleansing 101: Keeping your home’s energy in check," 17 Oct. 2018 The ships alternate between Caribbean and Mediterranean itineraries, calling at popular (and amenable) ports including Barcelona, Mallorca, Nassau, and San Juan. — Condé Nast Traveler, "The Best Cruise Lines in the World: 2018 Readers' Choice Awards," 9 Oct. 2018 In fact, the lactation photo in question (during date night, no less) was Legend's most popular post of the entire year. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "John Legend's Top Nine on Instagram Is Full of "Love and Lactation"," 28 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.