popularize

1 of 2

verb

pop·​u·​lar·​ize ˈpä-pyə-lə-ˌrīz 

popularized; popularizing

intransitive verb

: to cater to popular taste

transitive verb

: to make popular: such as

a

: to cause to be liked or esteemed

a sitcom that popularized the phrase

b

: to present in generally understandable or interesting form

a popularized version of American history

popularization

ˌpä-pyə-lə-rə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

popularizer

ˈpä-pyə-lə-ˌrī-zər 

noun

popularization

2 of 2

noun

pop·​u·​lar·​iza·​tion

variants also British popularisation

ˌ⸗⸗lərə̇ˈzāshən, 

-ˌrīˈ-

plural -s

1

: an act of popularizing or the state of being popularized

with the popularization of the buggy … a demand rose for light harness

—V. S. Clark

2

: something that is popularized

especially : a publication in terms comprehensible to the average man

divides the true folk tale from the popularization and that in turn from the work of art

—Yale Review

Examples of popularize in a Sentence

Verb

a phrase that was popularized by its use in a hit TV show

Dream analysis was popularized by Sigmund Freud.

The book presents a popularized version of American history.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

That idea is fairly commonplace now—but that’s because Perel helped popularize it. — Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026

Columbia University mathematician Joan Birman helped to popularize the question about 60 years ago. — Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 24 July 2026

Why Scale Doesn't Equal Relevance ​Theodore Levitt famously helped popularize the idea of global markets, while modern marketers embraced globalization. — Teja Chekuri, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

The event, popularized by Princess Grace, is one of the highlights of Monaco’s summer social season. — Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 22 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

probably borrowed from French populariser "to present in a favorable light, make popular," from populaire popular + -iser -ize

First Known Use

Verb

1593, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for popularize

• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise
• apologize
• capitalize
• categorize
• characterize
• commercialize
• conceptualize
• contrariwise
• criminalize
• decentralize

Kids Definition

popularize

verb

pop·​u·​lar·​ize ˈpäp-yə-lə-ˌrīz 

popularized; popularizing

: to make popular

popularization

ˌpäp-yə-lə-rə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

popularizer

ˈpäp-yə-lə-ˌrī-zər 

noun