popular

adjective

pop·​u·​lar ˈpä-pyə-lər 

1

: of or relating to the general public

2

: suitable to the majority: such as

a

: adapted to or indicative of the understanding and taste of the majority

a popular history of the war

b

: suited to the means of the majority : inexpensive

sold at popular prices

3

: frequently encountered or widely accepted

a popular theory

4

: commonly liked or approved

a very popular girl

popularly adverb

Synonyms

• big
• crowd-pleasing
• du jour
• faddish
• faddy
• fashionable
• favorite
• happening
• hot
• in
• large
• modish
• pop
• popularized
• red-hot
• vogue
• voguish

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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The word “groovy” was popular in the 1960s but it's outdated now.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

How To Play Connections Connections is a free, popular New York Times daily word game. —Kris Holt, Forbes, 28 Sep. 2024

The fact that a first-generation K-pop group formed in the 1990s continues to be hugely popular among South Koreans and the Korean diaspora today — even after an eight-year hiatus — is impressive. —Regina Kim, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2024

The special would be the first major high profile project for Williams, who exited his popular MSNBC show The 11th Hour in 2021. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2024

Meta operates popular social media platforms Facebook, Instagram and Threads, as well as instant messaging app WhatsApp. —Robert Ilich, CNN, 28 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin populāris "of the whole people, used by ordinary people, of the common people, professing to support the interests of the people, liked by the general public," from populus "a human community, people, nation, the people (transcending the individuals composing it), the general public" + -āris -ar — more at people entry 1

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing popular

• anti-popular
• by popular demand
• contrary to popular belief
• contrary to popular opinion
• popular demand
• popular front
• popular sovereignty
• popular taste

Kids Definition

popular

adjective

pop·​u·​lar ˈpäp-yə-lər 

1

: of, relating to, or coming from the whole body of people

popular government

2

: suitable for the average person (as in low price or ease of understanding)

popular prices

popular science

3

: generally current : prevalent

popular opinion

4

: commonly liked or approved

a popular teacher

popularity

ˌpäp-yə-ˈlar-ət-ē

noun

popularly adverb

Etymology

from Latin popularis "of the people," from populus "the people" — related to public

Legal Definition

popular

adjective

pop·​u·​lar

1

: of or relating to the general public

2

a

: of, relating to, or by the people (as of a nation or state) as a whole as distinguished from a specific class or group

b

: based on or alleged to be based on the will of the people