populist
1 of 2noun
pop·u·list ˈpä-pyə-list 
1
: a member of a political party claiming to represent the common people
especially, often capitalized : a member of a U.S. political party formed in 1891 primarily to represent agrarian interests and to advocate the free coinage of silver and government control of monopolies
2
: a believer in the rights, wisdom, or virtues of the common people
populism
ˈpä-pyə-ˌli-zəm
noun populistic
ˌpä-pyə-ˈli-stik
adjective populist
2 of 2adjective
1
often capitalized : of, relating to, or characterized by populism
2
a
: popular sense 1
b
: popular sense 2
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland, 4 Sep. 2022 While often described as a populist, the Mexican leader has pursued cautious fiscal policies and a stable peso, and supported the renovation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post, 12 July 2022 Last year, his daughter ran for the presidency as a right-wing populist, losing by less than 50,000 votes. New York Times, 18 June 2022 Sadr, a populist who has opposed both U.S. and Iranian influence in Iraq, has called for early elections, as well as the barring of political figures who served after the U.S. invasion from working in government. Kareem Fahim, Washington Post, 29 Aug. 2022 Outagamie County executive Tom Nelson, a populist with an energetic and dedicated following, and State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski, who felt a fundraising surge after the Dobbs ruling. Daniel Strauss, The New Republic, 20 July 2022 Draghi supports aid to Ukraine, sanctions on Russia, and increasing Italy’s defense budget, while the former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, a populist who leads the Five Star Movement and has previously befriended Putin, has opposed all three. Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 1 July 2022 The winner will succeed President Rodrigo Duterte, a populist who steered the U.S. ally closer to China and oversaw a brutal war on drugs that left thousands dead. Feliz Solomon, WSJ, 9 May 2022 Voters on the left see the French presidential election as an unappealing choice between a center-right president and a far-right populist. Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Apr. 2022 Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2022 With no minimum-vote threshold required for the referendum’s approval, and many boycotting, it was widely believed the authoritarian constitution drawn up by populist President Kais Saied passed. Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 July 2022 The filmography of Cronenberg has been one that has brought unadulterated respect from cinephiles, while never having the populist appeal to breakout into huge commercial translations or awards attention. Clayton Davis, Variety, 5 June 2022 The Five Star Movement — a populist party that enjoyed widespread success before souring its support from voters with policy shifts — refused to take part in the vote. Ben Evansky, Fox News, 15 July 2022 Which brings the story back to the Senate race and the populist rhetoric that will be featured. Dan Balz, Anchorage Daily News, 7 May 2022 Instead, the center-right Forza Italia and League parties and the populist 5-Star Movement boycotted a confidence vote in the Senate, a clear sign they were done with Mr. Draghi. Nicole Winfield, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 July 2022 Instead, the center-right parties of Forza Italia and the League and the populist 5-Star Movement boycotted a confidence vote in the Senate, in a clear sign they were done with Draghi’s 17-month government. Nicole Winfleld, USA TODAY, 21 July 2022 The Five Stars — a onetime populist party that has hemorrhaged most of its support — opted for the boycott ostensibly because of a series of grievances with Draghi and over a bill linked to the confidence vote. Chico Harlan, Washington Post, 14 July 2022 See More
Noun
Overall, Vance has run as a Republican populist, sort of a political mirror image of Sen. Sherrod Brown, the Democratic senator who’s represented Ohio since 2006. Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland, 4 Sep. 2022 While often described as a populist, the Mexican leader has pursued cautious fiscal policies and a stable peso, and supported the renovation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post, 12 July 2022 Last year, his daughter ran for the presidency as a right-wing populist, losing by less than 50,000 votes. New York Times, 18 June 2022 Sadr, a populist who has opposed both U.S. and Iranian influence in Iraq, has called for early elections, as well as the barring of political figures who served after the U.S. invasion from working in government. Kareem Fahim, Washington Post, 29 Aug. 2022 Outagamie County executive Tom Nelson, a populist with an energetic and dedicated following, and State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski, who felt a fundraising surge after the Dobbs ruling. Daniel Strauss, The New Republic, 20 July 2022 Draghi supports aid to Ukraine, sanctions on Russia, and increasing Italy’s defense budget, while the former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, a populist who leads the Five Star Movement and has previously befriended Putin, has opposed all three. Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 1 July 2022 The winner will succeed President Rodrigo Duterte, a populist who steered the U.S. ally closer to China and oversaw a brutal war on drugs that left thousands dead. Feliz Solomon, WSJ, 9 May 2022 Voters on the left see the French presidential election as an unappealing choice between a center-right president and a far-right populist. Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Apr. 2022 Adjective
How could someone as blatantly wrong for the part of a populist leader as Trump—a privileged New York real-estate tycoon who has failed in so many enterprises—ever become one? Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2022 With no minimum-vote threshold required for the referendum’s approval, and many boycotting, it was widely believed the authoritarian constitution drawn up by populist President Kais Saied passed. Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 July 2022 The filmography of Cronenberg has been one that has brought unadulterated respect from cinephiles, while never having the populist appeal to breakout into huge commercial translations or awards attention. Clayton Davis, Variety, 5 June 2022 The Five Star Movement — a populist party that enjoyed widespread success before souring its support from voters with policy shifts — refused to take part in the vote. Ben Evansky, Fox News, 15 July 2022 Which brings the story back to the Senate race and the populist rhetoric that will be featured. Dan Balz, Anchorage Daily News, 7 May 2022 Instead, the center-right Forza Italia and League parties and the populist 5-Star Movement boycotted a confidence vote in the Senate, a clear sign they were done with Mr. Draghi. Nicole Winfield, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 July 2022 Instead, the center-right parties of Forza Italia and the League and the populist 5-Star Movement boycotted a confidence vote in the Senate, in a clear sign they were done with Draghi’s 17-month government. Nicole Winfleld, USA TODAY, 21 July 2022 The Five Stars — a onetime populist party that has hemorrhaged most of its support — opted for the boycott ostensibly because of a series of grievances with Draghi and over a bill linked to the confidence vote. Chico Harlan, Washington Post, 14 July 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Latin populus the people
First Known Use
Noun
1891, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adjective
1892, in the meaning defined at sense 1
populists
noun
as in socialists
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- socialists
- democrats
- social democrats
- levellers
- egalitarians
- levelers
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- snobs
- snoots