as in inhabited
to supply with inhabitants
a small island populated only by woodland creatures
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of populated
The rest of the cast is rounded out by the kind of quirky backgrounders who also populated Dunder Mifflin.
—
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
While less than 1% growth might not seem like much, the news was widely seen as a sign that Macy’s efforts to army-crawl its way out of the retail graveyard populated by former rivals like Sears and Lord & Taylor (RIP) are starting to pay off.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
Compared to that, the $50 million the DoD granted to universities like UM to create artificial reefs populated with heat resistant coral and oysters was peanuts.
—Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2025
Greenland—the world's largest island that is not a continent—is sparsely populated by just over 56,000 people, but heavy in natural resources, including rare earth minerals, uranium, and iron.
—Richard Hall, Time, 27 Aug. 2025
As the album scores yet another top 10 smash, KPop Demon Hunters joins a very exclusive group populated by some of the most successful soundtracks in American history.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Lines snaked around every outside court, contrasting sharply with the ones only in use for practice, sparsely and quietly populated with players honing their skills for the bigger stages.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Practical takes on unique shoewear have also populated the feeds, particularly in the active warmer months.
—Essence, 21 Aug. 2025
This was, after all, a period when many still pictured other planets populated by humans or, otherwise, animals cognitively identical to us.
—Thomas Moynihan, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
While less than 1% growth might not seem like much, the news was widely seen as a sign that Macy’s efforts to army-crawl its way out of the retail graveyard populated by former rivals like Sears and Lord & Taylor (RIP) are starting to pay off.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
Compared to that, the $50 million the DoD granted to universities like UM to create artificial reefs populated with heat resistant coral and oysters was peanuts.
—Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2025
Greenland—the world's largest island that is not a continent—is sparsely populated by just over 56,000 people, but heavy in natural resources, including rare earth minerals, uranium, and iron.
—Richard Hall, Time, 27 Aug. 2025
As the album scores yet another top 10 smash, KPop Demon Hunters joins a very exclusive group populated by some of the most successful soundtracks in American history.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Lines snaked around every outside court, contrasting sharply with the ones only in use for practice, sparsely and quietly populated with players honing their skills for the bigger stages.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Practical takes on unique shoewear have also populated the feeds, particularly in the active warmer months.
—Essence, 21 Aug. 2025
This was, after all, a period when many still pictured other planets populated by humans or, otherwise, animals cognitively identical to us.
—Thomas Moynihan, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for populated
inhabited
Verb
-
The 17-year-old shares Yurok and Māori ancestry and grew up in Requa, one of the continent’s longest continuously inhabited communities.—
Debra Utacia Krol,
USA Today,
2 Sep. 2025
-
It has been inhabited since antiquity, thanks to underground water sources.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Populated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/populated. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share