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

As the most populous and sprawling county in the state, Fulton has often been tagged by Republicans as the bad egg among elections offices for its past record of long lines, late returns and sloppy bookkeeping. —Patricia Murphy, AJC.com, 29 Jan. 2026

Still, the state remains the most populous in the country with about 39,359,000 residents as of July 1. —Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 28 Jan. 2026

Subscribe today When the most populous nation on Earth forges a trade deal with a bloc that comprises nearly 15% of the world’s GDP, the ramifications will be widespread — and not just in monetary terms. —Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026

Census estimates show Chicago retained its position as the nation’s third most populous city, after New York and Los Angeles, in 2024. —Mike Schneider, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 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