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 – the state of California, the most populous state in the nation, the most diverse state in the nation, home to more immigrants than any state in the nation, mostly documented, some undocumented. —/ Cbs News, CBS News, 15 June 2025

Since 1970, California has received more than 100 waivers under the Clean Air Act to address pollution caused by its unique geographic terrain and abundance of automobiles in the nation's most populous state. —Zac Anderson, USA Today, 13 June 2025

Advertisement Advertisement Since becoming Governor in 2019, Newsom has embraced his role as the top official of the most populous U.S. state, which often leads the country in implementing progressive policies. —Solcyré Burga, Time, 12 June 2025

On our list, software makes up the most populous industry with 9 companies: ANSS , CDNS , CRWD , INTU , MSFT , PANW , PLTR , ROP , and ZS . —Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 12 June 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