populous

adjective

pop·​u·​lous ˈpä-pyə-ləs How to pronounce populous (audio)
1
a
: densely populated
b
: having a large population
2
a
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 Last year, India surpassed China as the world’s most populous country. Rhea Mogul, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024 Most Climate resilient cities The research team at USA TODAY Homefront ranked 96 of the 100 most populous U.S. cities across eight metrics to determine the most climate-resilient cities. James Powel, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2024 Disney's parks are a tourism magnet for Southern California and especially for Anaheim, which is Orange County’s most populous city and home to more than 345,000 people as well as a major league baseball team and national hockey league team. Amy Taxin, Quartz, 12 Mar. 2024 Disney’s parks are a tourism magnet for Southern California and especially for Anaheim, which is Orange County’s most populous city and home to more than 345,000 people as well as a major league baseball team and national hockey league team. Amy Taxin, Fortune, 11 Mar. 2024 But the outcome could reverberate widely if Republicans in Texas, the most populous and wealthiest conservative state, decide the state needs to move even further to the right. J. David Goodman, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024 The kickoff event offered insight into how the Valley's mayors, county leaders and Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs will pitch voters in the state's most populous county to say yes to the tax on their November ballot. Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 28 Feb. 2024 For a study released in 2019, a team of researchers based at Newcastle University and the University of Pittsburgh simulated thousands of measles outbreaks at schools in Texas, the most populous state to allow nonmedical exemptions from routine vaccine requirements. Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2024 For local and international operators in the world’s most populous nation, the consequences of those tectonic shifts extend across streaming, pay-TV, channels, advertising, sports and content. Patrick Frater, Variety, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'populous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin populosus, from populus people

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of populous was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near populous

Cite this Entry

“Populous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/populous. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

populous

adjective
pop·​u·​lous ˈpäp-yə-ləs How to pronounce populous (audio)
: having a large population
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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