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

Fortunately, legislation pending in the New York City Council would trim the problem here in America’s most populous city. —Dr. Philip J. Landrigan, New York Daily News, 10 July 2025

Perhaps unsurprisingly, this year’s reader-favorite city hotels in India are split between the country’s two most populous cities, Delhi and Mumbai. —Hannah Walhout, Travel + Leisure, 8 July 2025

Egypt has referred to the dam, known as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, as an existential threat because the Arab world’s most populous country relies almost entirely on the Nile to supply water for agriculture and its more than 100 million people. —Samuel Getachew, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2025

On a county level, some of Indiana's most populous counties are expected to miss out on the largest chunk of revenue starting as early as next year, according to a fiscal analysis of the bill. —Brittany Carloni, IndyStar, 2 July 2025

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