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 European Union's most populous country has a railway network totaling some 33,400 kilometers (20,750 miles) in length, with 5,400 train stations and used by an average 50,000 trains per day. — ABC News, 24 June 2026

But the tight result shows the South American nation remains deeply divided between the populous coast and the more rural, Indigenous south. — CBS News, 24 June 2026

The brazen daylight shooting happened in the city’s most populous borough, Côte-des-Neiges, and ended after a shootout with the suspect, who was also killed. — Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 23 June 2026

More than 140 polling stations were closed on voting day in the country’s two most-populous regions, Amhara and Oromo — both opposition strongholds — over safety concerns sparked by armed groups fighting the government. — Jenny Vaughan, semafor.com, 22 June 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