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

The 650,000 barrels-a-day Dangote plant produces enough fuel for domestic consumption in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, and is the most influential determinant of pump prices. — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 15 July 2026

California, in this view of things, is something more than merely the richest and most populous state of the Union, the first among equals. — Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 14 July 2026

The index, published July 14 by American College of Sports Medicine and Elevance Health Foundation, ranks the nation's 100 most populous cities on fitness, personal health and community/environmental health. — Finch Walker, USA Today, 14 July 2026

In less populous counties, by contrast, job and wage spillovers were negligible. — Daniel Yue, Fortune, 14 July 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