populist

1 of 2

noun

pop·​u·​list ˈpä-pyə-list 

plural populists

1

a

: a supporter of populism : a participant in or advocate of a populist movement

… ran as a fiery populist, criticizing Wall Street banks and bailouts.

—Bill Allison

… a leftist populist won the presidency with widespread support from the country's working class on his promise to put the poor first.

—Kate Linthicum

… faces the added challenge of positioning himself as a conservative populist—a skeptic of corporations inside a party often allied with them …

—Kristina Karisch and Alexis Simendinger

b

: a member of a political party claiming to represent ordinary people against the Establishment (see establishment sense 2a)

especially, often Populist plural Populists : a member of a U.S. political party formed in 1891 primarily to represent agrarian interests and to call for the free coinage of silver and government control of monopolies

2

: a believer in the rights, wisdom, or virtues of the common people

… civic populists like Andrew Carnegie, who built hundreds of libraries in small towns, and Bill Gates, whose foundation ministers to global masses.

—Christopher Glazek

populistic

ˌpä-pyə-ˈli-stik 

adjective

populist

2 of 2

adjective

1

: of, relating to, or characterized by populism (see populism sense 1) or political populists (see populist entry 1 sense 1b)

Campaign finance reform is usually sold as a populist means to strengthen the power of "ordinary" citizens against dominant, big-money interests.

—Anthony Corrado

Historically, populist movements use the rhetoric of class solidarity to seize political power so that "the people" can exercise it for their common benefit.

—Mark Lill

… populist reluctance to devote public resources drawn from all to the benefit of a few.

—Carolyn Lougee

… blue-collar, downscale voters who are economically populist and socially moderate.

—Jonathan Chait

specifically, often Populist : of or relating to the Populist (see populist entry 1 sense 1b) political party formed in 1891

American mistrust of big business dates back to the Populist movement at the turn of the century, when the nation's key antitrust laws were adopted.

—Kathryn Harris

… in 1896 ran … on the Populist ticket …

—Alan Blinder

2

: appealing to most people : having qualities that people tend to like and understand : popular

This wine is a blend of traditional Portuguese grapes. … It's as polished as the most aristocratic red Bordeaux, but the price is more populist at $17.

—Matt Kramer

He is a populist gourmet. … More arugula, please. But let me have some fries with that.

—A. O. Scott

Examples of populist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

And which constituency is most likely to back MAGA in America and the equivalent right-wing populists in Europe? —Big Think, 14 Apr. 2026

For those who seek to defeat populists, Orbán’s defeat also offers lessons. —Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2026

Adjective

The rally outside the Parliament in Bratislava, the Slovak capital, opened with applause for neighboring Hungary’s weekend election that ousted populist leader Viktor Orbán, rejecting his authoritarian rule in favor of a pro-Europe candidate. —ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026

What happened Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán conceded defeat Sunday night after his far-right populist Fidesz party lost decisively to Péter Magyar and his center-right, pro-Europe Tisza party. —Peter Weber, TheWeek, 13 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin populus people entry 1 + -ist entry 1

Adjective

derivative of populist entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1891, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Adjective

1891, in the meaning defined at sense 1a