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

Some traveled to magazine headquarters at the One World Trade Center from other parts of the most populous city in the United States, others from the nation's rural areas. —Katherine Fung, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025

Traditionally, conservative parties held sway in Bangkok and Thailand’s south, while Thaksin’s heartland was the rural though populous rice-growing northeast. —Charlie Campbell, Time, 15 Sep. 2025

In Memphis, Tennessee's second-most populous city after Nashville, police officials said earlier in the week that instances of violent crime, including murder and assault, have come down. —Alex Horton, Arkansas Online, 14 Sep. 2025

The Suffolk County district attorney’s office, one of the most populous jurisdictions in the state, is based in Boston and prosecuted Louise’s case. —Willoughby Mariano, ProPublica, 11 Sep. 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