unpopular

adjective

un·​pop·​u·​lar ˌən-ˈpä-pyə-lər 

: not popular : viewed or received unfavorably by the public

unpopularity

ˌən-ˌpä-pyə-ˈler-ə-tē 

-ˈla-rə-

noun

unpopularly adverb

Examples of unpopular in a Sentence

I was unpopular in high school.

Her third album has been unpopular with fans.

Recent conflicts have made him unpopular among the staff.

Recent Examples on the Web

Aside from continuously bad polling numbers for the president, the Iran war remains an unpopular issue with Americans. — Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026

That’s unlikely to change now, especially as China sees how unpopular the ongoing conflict has been within the US and abroad, and as Chinese leader Xi Jinping is set to visit the United States next month. — Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026

Snelling’s predecessor, David Brown, was deeply unpopular among rank-and-file officers. — Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026

Trump has railed against the high court’s rulings and imposed other tariffs to make up for those the court struck down, despite polling showing his tariff policy is broadly unpopular. — Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unpopular

• maculopapular
• popular

Kids Definition

unpopular

adjective

un·​pop·​u·​lar ˌən-ˈpäp-yə-lər 

ˈən-

: not popular : disliked by many people

unpopularity

ˌən-ˌpäp-yə-ˈlar-ət-ē 

noun