popular
adjective
pop·u·lar ˈpä-pyə-lər 
1
: of or relating to the general public
2
: suitable to the majority: such 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
popularly adverb
Synonyms
- big
- crowd-pleasing
- du jour
- faddish
- faddy
- fashionable
- favorite
- happening
- hot
- in
- large
- modish
- pop
- popularized
- red-hot
- vogue
- voguish
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
They have names that were popular a century ago. He is a popular guy in school. Spicy foods have become increasingly popular. That is a very popular misconception. The word “groovy” was popular in the 1960s but it's outdated now. Her theories are popular among social scientists. a popular history of physics See More
Recent Examples on the Web The Animated Series, Harley recently celebrated her 30th anniversary as one of the most popular female characters in superhero comics, if not all of pop culture. 
Christian Holub, EW.com, 15 Sep. 2022 Apple recently overtook Tesla as the most popular company to bet against, according to S3 Partners. WSJ, 15 Sep. 2022 This May, a study by JMIR Mhealth Uhealth examined the 23 most popular women’s mHealth apps and found 61 percent relied on geolocators, while only 52 percent even asked for users’ consent. WIRED, 15 Sep. 2022 Shop Amazon's current most popular upright vacuum cleaner below. Nicol Natale, Peoplemag, 15 Sep. 2022 The street, where trains travel along a track just inches away from homes and businesses in the Vietnam capital, has long been one of the most popular tourist sites in Hanoi and a regular favorite on social media. Lilit Marcus, CNN, 15 Sep. 2022 Beantown and the surrounding New England area are among the most popular places for home buyers to live in America. Terry Collins, USA TODAY, 14 Sep. 2022 TikTok is the second most popular domain in the world, according to online performance and security company Cloudflare, exceeded only by Google. David Klepper, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Sep. 2022 About 81% of Russian car imports during the second quarter came from China, Bloomberg reported, while China's Xiaomi phone brand became the most popular in Russia during the same time period. Michael Lee, Fox News, 14 Sep. 2022 See More
Christian Holub, EW.com, 15 Sep. 2022 Apple recently overtook Tesla as the most popular company to bet against, according to S3 Partners. WSJ, 15 Sep. 2022 This May, a study by JMIR Mhealth Uhealth examined the 23 most popular women’s mHealth apps and found 61 percent relied on geolocators, while only 52 percent even asked for users’ consent. WIRED, 15 Sep. 2022 Shop Amazon's current most popular upright vacuum cleaner below. Nicol Natale, Peoplemag, 15 Sep. 2022 The street, where trains travel along a track just inches away from homes and businesses in the Vietnam capital, has long been one of the most popular tourist sites in Hanoi and a regular favorite on social media. Lilit Marcus, CNN, 15 Sep. 2022 Beantown and the surrounding New England area are among the most popular places for home buyers to live in America. Terry Collins, USA TODAY, 14 Sep. 2022 TikTok is the second most popular domain in the world, according to online performance and security company Cloudflare, exceeded only by Google. David Klepper, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Sep. 2022 About 81% of Russian car imports during the second quarter came from China, Bloomberg reported, while China's Xiaomi phone brand became the most popular in Russia during the same time period. Michael Lee, Fox News, 14 Sep. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Latin popularis, from populus the people, a people
First Known Use
1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing popular
Kids Definition
popular
adjective
pop·u·lar ˈpä-pyə-lər
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
Legal Definition
popular
adjective
pop·u·lar
1
: of or relating to the general public
2
a
: of, relating to, or by the people (as of a nation or state) as a whole as distinguished from a specific class or group
b
: based on or alleged to be based on the will of the people
popular
adjective
1
as in popularized
enjoying widespread favor or approval an actor who was popular in the 1970s Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- popularized
- fashionable
- favorite
- vogue
- pop
- famous
- large
- desirable
- happening
- in
- hot
- big
- faddish
- preferred
- prominent
- crowd-pleasing
- faddy
- celebrated
- legendary
- prominent
- renowned
- fabulous
- famed
- voguish
- modish
- notorious
- selected
- red-hot
- well-known
- liked
- du jour
- important
- notable
- outstanding
- semipopular
- noted
- wanted
- fabled
- leading
- remarkable
- significant
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unpopular
- unfashionable
- out
- rejected
- disliked
- despised
- detested
- unimportant
- hated
- insignificant
- obscure
- unknown
- unexceptional
- anonymous
- washed-up
- inconspicuous
- nameless
- indistinguished
2
as in conventional
accepted, used, or practiced by most people the popular custom of exchanging greeting cards during the holiday season Synonyms & Similar Words
- conventional
- usual
- current
- prevailing
- prevalent
- customary
- standard
- stock
- going
- widespread
- common
- ubiquitous
- normal
- ordinary
- average
- regular
- fashionable
- everyday
- universal
- accustomed
- routine
- epidemic
- in
- stylish
- modish
- wonted
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unusual
- unpopular
- uncommon
- extraordinary
- unconventional
- nonstandard
- exceptional
- abnormal
3
as in general
held by or applicable to a majority of the people popular opinion on that issue has changed dramatically over the years Synonyms & Similar Words
- general
- prevailing
- public
- overall
- majority
- predominant
- common
- unanimous
- ruling
- received
- vulgar
- usual
- current
- contemporary
- dominant
- well-known
- present
- typical
- prevalent
- widespread
- universal
- familiar
- pop
- characteristic
- household
- everyday
- pervasive
- communal
- shared
- preponderant
- rife
- pandemic
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- uncommon
- unusual
- special
- unpopular
- rare
- strange
- unknown
- unique
- distinctive
- individual
- peculiar
- personal
- private
- separate
- idiosyncratic
- especial
- singular
- nonpublic
4
as in democratic
of, relating to, or favoring political democracy a truly popular revolution, not one that replaced one dictatorship with another Synonyms & Similar Words
- democratic
- republican
- libertarian
- representative
- nontotalitarian
- self-governing
- self-ruling
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- undemocratic
- nondemocratic
- autocratic
- despotic
- tyrannical
- monarchical
- dictatorial
- monarchial
- monarchic
- autocratical
- tyrannic
- monarchal
5
as in affordable
being within the financial means of most people from their inception, DVDs were designed to be sold directly to consumers at popular prices Synonyms & Similar Words
- affordable
- accessible
- cheap
- inexpensive
- discount
- low
- reasonable
- budget
- moderate
- modest
- low-end
- bargain-basement
- rock-bottom
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- expensive
- upscale
- high
- costly
- high-end
- dear
6
as in inexpensive
costing little we also have the popular models, for those who prefer not to invest too much in a new TV Synonyms & Similar Words
- inexpensive
- affordable
- cheap
- reasonable
- low
- budget
- cheapie
- dirt cheap
- cheapo
- chintzy
- low-end
- discounted
- cut-price
- moderate
- cut-rate
- el cheapo
- reduced
- discount
- bargain-basement
- worthless
- dime-store
- cheapish
- wholesale
- lowered
- valueless
- ultracheap
- supercheap
- fire-sale
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- valuable
- expensive
- high
- pricey
- premium
- costly
- deluxe
- precious
- dear
- extravagant
- pricy
- prohibitive
- high-ticket
- overpriced
- inflated
- increased
- unreasonable
- spendy
- exorbitant
- steep
- stiff
- luxurious
- invaluable
- prohibitory
- ultraexpensive
- priceless
- superexpensive
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of popular are common, familiar, ordinary, plain, and vulgar. While all these words mean "generally met with and not in any way special, strange, or unusual," 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
While the synonyms common and popular are close in meaning, common implies usual everyday quality or frequency of occurrence and may additionally suggest inferiority or coarseness.
a common error
lacked common honesty
common manners
In some situations, the words familiar and popular are roughly equivalent. However, familiar stresses the fact of being generally known and easily recognized.
a familiar melody
While in some cases nearly identical to popular, ordinary stresses conformance in quality or kind with the regular order of things.
an ordinary pleasant summer day
a very ordinary sort of man
The words plain and popular can be used in similar contexts, but plain is likely to suggest homely simplicity.
plain hard-working people
Vulgar, otherwise similar to popular, is likely to carry derogatory connotations (as of inferiority or coarseness).
souvenirs designed to appeal to the vulgar taste