as in inhabited
to supply with inhabitants
a small island populated only by woodland creatures
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Recent Examples of populated
Today, the bluegills, catfish and Canada geese that once populated the area have mostly abandoned the creek, which has long been polluted by runoff from farms and nearby parking lots.
—
Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
Last August, Jo’s inbox populated with job prompts, matches and interview requests.
—Lisa Cavazuti, NBC news, 15 Mar. 2026
As the movie begins, Armando takes shelter in a Recife safehouse, overseen by a cigarette-ripping matron called Dona Sebastiana and populated by refugees navigating their own unspecified troubles.
—Michael Snyder, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
From the 1840s through the 1880s, the Point – today’s downtown area – was so densely populated with Irish immigrants it was known as Little Ireland.
—Paula Kane, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026
He’s known for building intentional cracks and erosions into his works, which often reveal an interior geology of materials like crystals or gears, and more recently, labyrinth staircases populated with small figures, not unlike a surreal antique dollhouse.
—Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 11 Mar. 2026
The spa Dubbed Lola’s Sanctuary, the spa, with its open-air cabanas or indoor treatment rooms, is reached by walking through an herb garden populated with lemongrass, hibiscus, and pandan.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Mar. 2026
Since then, crowds for their games have been populated by Japanese locals donning their jerseys, painting their faces, and chanting the Czech team name before each pitch their team throws or sees.
—Sam Blum, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2026
As in the real world, they’re populated by personalities that don’t neatly divide along a good-evil binary but are, instead, flawed yet lovable—to some other lovably flawed character, at least.
—Judy Berman, Time, 6 Mar. 2026
Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
Last August, Jo’s inbox populated with job prompts, matches and interview requests.
—Lisa Cavazuti, NBC news, 15 Mar. 2026
As the movie begins, Armando takes shelter in a Recife safehouse, overseen by a cigarette-ripping matron called Dona Sebastiana and populated by refugees navigating their own unspecified troubles.
—Michael Snyder, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
From the 1840s through the 1880s, the Point – today’s downtown area – was so densely populated with Irish immigrants it was known as Little Ireland.
—Paula Kane, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026
He’s known for building intentional cracks and erosions into his works, which often reveal an interior geology of materials like crystals or gears, and more recently, labyrinth staircases populated with small figures, not unlike a surreal antique dollhouse.
—Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 11 Mar. 2026
The spa Dubbed Lola’s Sanctuary, the spa, with its open-air cabanas or indoor treatment rooms, is reached by walking through an herb garden populated with lemongrass, hibiscus, and pandan.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Mar. 2026
Since then, crowds for their games have been populated by Japanese locals donning their jerseys, painting their faces, and chanting the Czech team name before each pitch their team throws or sees.
—Sam Blum, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2026
As in the real world, they’re populated by personalities that don’t neatly divide along a good-evil binary but are, instead, flawed yet lovable—to some other lovably flawed character, at least.
—Judy Berman, Time, 6 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for populated
inhabited
Verb
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Her Tribeca apartment made the cover of our latest issue, a five-floor former milk factory most recently inhabited by renowned French architect Thierry Despont.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
12 Mar. 2026
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Santa Cruz, a hunk of volcanic rock wedged between the blues of sky and ocean and inhabited by over a thousand scrappy species of creatures and plants, feels magnificently wild.—
Betsy Andrews,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Populated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/populated. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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