populous

adjective pop·u·lous \ ˈpä-pyə-ləs \

Updated on: 21 Apr 2018

Definition of populous

1 a : densely populated

b : having a large population

2 a : numerous

b : filled to capacity

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populously

adverb

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populousness

noun

See populous defined for English-language learners

See populous defined for kids

Examples of populous in a Sentence

the most populous state in the U.S.

Recent Examples of populous from the Web

Brown, a Democrat who presides over the nation’s most populous state, one that has served as the cradle of the resistance to Trump’s presidency, had previously accused Trump of declaring war on California.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Mitch McConnell sees no need for law to protect Robert Mueller," 18 Apr. 2018
Trump’s morning tweet was his latest salvo at the nation’s most populous state, whose laws the president and his administration contend are too friendly to undocumented immigrants.

— john wagner, Washington Post, "Trump calls California’s sanctuary laws a ‘ridiculous, crime infested & breeding concept’," 18 Apr. 2018
Brown, a Democrat who presides over the nation's most populous state, one that has served as the cradle of the resistance to Trump's presidency, had previously accused Trump of declaring war on California.

— john wagner, chicagotribune.com, "Trump resumes war of words with California governor over border troops," 17 Apr. 2018
In the 1950s and 1960s, California became the most populous state by constructing vast freeway and water systems that allowed developers to pave over farmland to build suburbs and house the swelling population.

— conor dougherty, New York Times, "California Lawmakers Kill Housing Bill After Fierce Debate," 17 Apr. 2018
California becomes the most populous state in the nation.

— merrie monteagudo, sandiegouniontribune.com, "History in headlines," 15 Apr. 2018
Pennsylvania, fifth most populous state, has the nation’s largest full-time legislature: 203 House members; 50 senators.

— john baer, Philly.com, "Biting back at academic argument to keep Pa. legislature large | John Baer," 11 Apr. 2018
Even Tucker Carlson, who’s made a habit of bashing the most populous U.S. state with the country’s fourth-biggest economy, seemed surprised by the description.

— matthew martinez, star-telegram, "Romance cover guy Fabio condemns California as ‘Sodom and Gomorrah’ on Fox News | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 30 Mar. 2018
Electric utilities in Massachusetts have officially broken ties with a power-line project in New Hampshire that was envisioned to connect New England’s most populous state to hydroelectric dams in Canada.

— jon kamp, WSJ, "Massachusetts Utilities Cut Ties With New Hampshire Power-Line Project," 28 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'populous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

With a metropolitan area of more than 20 million people, Mexico City could be called the world's second or third most populous city. And the nearby Aztec city of Tenochtitlán was one of the largest cities in the world even when Hernán Cortés arrived there in 1519. But by the time Cortés conquered the city in 1521 it wasn't nearly so populous, since European diseases had greatly reduced the population. Avoid confusing populous and populace, which are pronounced exactly the same.

Origin and Etymology of populous

Middle English, from Latin populosus, from populus people

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

POPULOUS Defined for English Language Learners

populous

adjective

Definition of populous for English Language Learners

: having a large population

POPULOUS Defined for Kids

populous

adjective pop·u·lous \ ˈpä-pyə-ləs \

Definition of populous for Students

: having a large population

a populous city

Word Root of populous

The Latin word populus, meaning “people,” gives us the root popul. Words from the Latin populus have something to do with people. A population is the group of people living in a particular place. Anything popular is common among or enjoyed by many people. A place that is populous has many people living in it.