populous

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adjective pop·u·lous \ ˈpä-pyə-ləs \

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

Kenny, a substitute teacher, and his wife Ceci, a scheduling manager for a drug-testing company, have lived in the nation’s fourth most populous city for seven years.

— laura ungar, The Courier-Journal, "'Stay safe, little brother' – Hurricane Harvey traps Courier-Journal reporter's sibling," 29 Aug. 2017
State party leaders celebrated the news, drawing parallels between Keys-Gamarra’s win and that of Jackie Smith, a Democrat who defeated a powerful Republican this year to become the clerk of courts in Prince William County, a populous swing county.

— moriah balingit, Washington Post, "Democratic-backed candidate elected to Fairfax County School Board," 29 Aug. 2017
As Texans braced for a storm that would deliver flooding unlike anything the nation’s second-most populous state had ever experienced, President Donald Trump prioritized.

— danielle tcholakian, Longreads, "The Collected Crimes of Sheriff Joe Arpaio," 26 Aug. 2017
A map released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows tentative plans to build 28 miles (45 kilometers) of wall on the levee in Hidalgo County, the most populous county of the valley.

— nomaan merchant, The Seattle Times, "Advocates stage first big Texas protest against border wall," 12 Aug. 2017
A promise to waive farmers’ debts helped the BJP to an electoral victory in India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, in March.

— The Economist, "The elephant in its labyrinthIn the race with its tricky neighbour, India has recently been winning," 22 July 2017
BEIJING (AP) — Users of WhatsApp in China and security researchers have reported widespread service disruptions amid fears that the popular messaging service may be at least partially blocked by authorities in the world’s most populous country.

— gerry shih, The Seattle Times, "China users report WhatsApp disruption amid censorship fears," 18 July 2017
Users of WhatsApp in China and security researchers reported Tuesday, July 18, 2017, widespread service disruptions amid fears that the popular messaging service may be at least partially blocked by authorities in the world’s most populous country.

— Washington Post, "China users report WhatsApp disruption amid censorship fears," 18 July 2017
In response to the Peace Prize award, China suspended ties with Norway and froze free-trade talks, hurting sales of Norwegian salmon in the world’s most populous country.

— ting shi, Bloomberg.com, "China Defends Nobel Laureate's Care After Death Fuels Outcry," 14 July 2017

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

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First Known Use: 15th century

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POPULOUS Defined for English Language Learners

populous

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adjective

Definition of populous for English Language Learners

: having a large population

POPULOUS Defined for Kids

populous

play

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.