First Known Use: 1548
Dictionary
popular
adjective pop·u·lar \ˈpä-pyə-lər\
: liked or enjoyed by many people
: accepted, followed, used, or done by many people
: of, relating to, or coming from most of the people in a country, society, or group
Full Definition of POPULAR
1
: of or relating to the general public
2
: suitable to the majority: as a : adapted to or indicative of the understanding and taste of the majority <a popular history of the war> b : suited to the means of the majority : inexpensive <sold at popular prices>
3
: frequently encountered or widely accepted <a popular theory>
4
: commonly liked or approved <a very popular girl>
— pop·u·lar·ly adverb
See popular defined for English-language learners
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Origin of POPULAR
Latin popularis, from populus the people, a people
Related to POPULAR
- Synonyms
- big, crowd-pleasing, du jour, faddish, faddy, fashionable, favorite, happening, hot, in, large, modish, pop, popularized, red-hot, vogue, voguish
- Antonyms
- out, unfashionable, unpopular
Synonym Discussion of POPULAR
common, ordinary, plain, familiar, popular, vulgar mean generally met with and not in any way special, strange, or unusual. common implies usual everyday quality or frequency of occurrence <a common error> <lacked common honesty> and may additionally suggest inferiority or coarseness <common manners>. ordinary stresses conformance in quality or kind with the regular order of things <an ordinary pleasant summer day> <a very ordinary sort of man>. plain is likely to suggest homely simplicity <plain hard-working people>. familiar stresses the fact of being generally known and easily recognized <a familiar melody>. popular applies to what is accepted by or prevalent among people in general sometimes in contrast to upper classes or special groups <a writer of popular romances>. vulgar, otherwise similar to popular, is likely to carry derogatory connotations (as of inferiority or coarseness) <souvenirs designed to appeal to the vulgar taste>.
Other Sociology Terms
POPULAR Defined for Kids
popular
adjective pop·u·lar \ˈpä-pyə-lər\
Definition of POPULAR for Kids
1
: of or relating to most of the people in a country or area <the popular vote> <popular culture>
2
: enjoyed or approved by many people <a popular game>
3
: frequently encountered or widely accepted <popular opinion>
— pop·u·lar·ly adverb <a popularly held belief>
Word Root of POPULAR
The Latin word populus, meaning “people,” gives us the root popul. Words from the Latin populus have something to do with people. A population is the group of people living in a particular place. Anything popular is common among or enjoyed by many people. A place that is populous has many people living in it.
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