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

This year's election cycle is expected to be a pivotal one for Maricopa County, the most populous in Arizona. —Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024

Gasoline stockpiles on the populous East Coast are tightening and manufacturing activity in the US and China is also signaling a boost in fuel use. —Lucia Kassai, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2024

As our new policy brief explains, Canada’s most populous province and a prominent Australian state show what is possible when pharmacists can use their training to serve patients fully. —Jeffrey Singer, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024

California Biden nominates new U.S. attorney for Los Angeles region June 6, 2022 Estrada heads the most populous federal judicial district in the country, with more than 25 million residents across seven Southern California counties. —Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024

That’s how much income needed to afford a starter home increased from last year in New Brunswick, New Jersey, which had the highest year-over-year increase among the 50 most populous U.S. metros. —Molly Bohannon, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

Brooklyn, the city’s most populous borough, lost 28,306 residents, Queens shrank by 26,362, the Bronx fell by 25,332 and Staten Island declined by 671, the data shows. —Laura Nahmias, Bloomberg.com, 14 Mar. 2024

To compare salaries, the report looked at median year-round full-time salaries for male and female workers in the 170 most populous places in the U.S. —Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Mar. 2024

Just minutes before the registration deadline, the New Era party inexplicably was allowed to register a different candidate: Manuel Rosales, the party’s founder and governor of the populous state of Zulia, whose entry into the race was seen by political analysts as rubber-stamped by Mr. Maduro. —Isayen Herrera, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin populosus, from populus people

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

populous

adjective

pop·​u·​lous ˈpäp-yə-ləs 

: having a large population