populous

adjective

pop·​u·​lous ˈpä-pyə-ləs 

1

a

: densely populated

b

: having a large population

2

a

: numerous

b

: filled to capacity

populously adverb

populousness noun

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.

Examples of populous in a Sentence

the most populous state in the U.S.

Recent Examples on the Web

As Latin America's largest economy and most populous country, Brazil belongs to the G20, a forum of major economies, and BRICS, a bloc of emerging powers. — Catherine Osborn, NPR, 2 Oct. 2026

Asia’s most populous countries are grappling with a graduate employment crisis, with huge numbers of young people entering job markets that lack roles to absorb them. — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 2026

More than 150 million people live on Java, Indonesia’s economic and political core and the world’s most populous island. — Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

Once the most populous vertebrate in their mountain habitat, the wild population of these tiny amphibians had dwindled to fewer than 200 by 2021. — ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English populous, populus, borrowed from Latin populōsus, from populus people entry 1 + -ōsus -ous

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for populous

• populace
• populus

Kids Definition

populous

adjective

pop·​u·​lous ˈpäp-yə-ləs 

: having a large population