unpopularadj.
/(ˌ)ʌnˈpɒpjᵿlə/, U.S. /ˌənˈpɑpjələr/ Not popular; not liked or admired by many people.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > unpopularity > [adjective]
unplausible1563
unpopular1614
impopular1721
welcomeless1838
non-popular1860
1614 G. Chapman Free & Offenceles Justif. sig. **2v Y'aue made him scandald for anothers wrong, Wishing vnpublisht your vnpopular song.
1659 J. Gauden Ἱερα Δακρυα ii. xiv. 194 Terms extremely unpopular, unpleasing, and growing out of fashion in England.
1702 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion I. i. 6 That Meeting being, upon very unpopular..reasons, immediately Dissolved.
1771 ‘Junius’ Stat Nominis Umbra (1772) II. lix. 269 I acknowledge an involuntary compulsive assent to one very unpopular opinion.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. xviii. 163 James was unpopular because he was a Papist.
1863 H. Cox Inst. Eng. Govt. iii. iii. 628 An unpopular government.
1909 Chatterbox 306/2 The farmers who were unpopular thereabouts had..their ricks carted off.
1962 C. A. Macartney Hungary ii. 18 Peter was reinstated, but his rule was more unpopular than ever.
2009 K. Chambers Betrayer i. 6 She was unpopular at school, with very few friends.
Derivatives
unˈpopularly adv.
ΚΠ
1713 tr. Plutarch Lives 51 Camillus, Exalted by this Victory, unpopularly had his Triumphal Chariot drawn by Four Milk-white Horses.
1856 Railway Rec. 8 Nov. 713/3 The industry..was..apt to be regarded unpopularly, in relation to the unfortunate accidents which occasionally took place.
1931 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald 30 Aug. (third section) 3/7 This year has come to be popularly, or, rather, unpopularly known in England as ‘The year without any summer’.
2004 L. de Bernières Birds without Wings (2005) lxxxi. 488 King Constantine was..deposed after obstinately and unpopularly supporting the losers in the Great War.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2014; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adj.1614