Adjacent Words

Popular definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

POP'ULAR, a. [L. popularis. See People.]
1. Pertaining to the common people; as the popular voice; popular elections.
So the popular vote inclines.
2. Suitable to common people; familiar; plain; easy to be comprehended; not critical or abstruse.
Homilies are plain and popular instructions.
3. Beloved by the people; enjoying the favor of the people; pleasing to people in general; as a popular governor; a popular preacher; a popular ministry; a popular discourse; a popular administration; a popular war or peace. Suspect the man who endeavors to make that popular which is wrong.
4. Ambitious; studious of the favor of the people.
A popular man is in truth no better than a prostitute to common fame and to the people.
[This sense is not used. It is more customary to apply this epithet to a person who has already gained the favor of the people.]
5. Prevailing among the people; extensively prevalent; as a popular disease.
6. In law, a popular action is one which gives a penalty to the person that sues for the same.
[Note. Popular, at least in the United States, is not synonymous with vulgar; the latter being applied to the lower classes of people, the illiterate and low bred; the former is applied to all classes, or to the body of the people, including a great portion at least of well educated citizens.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: regarded with great favor, approval, or affection especially by the general public; "a popular tourist attraction"; "a popular girl"; "cabbage patch dolls are no longer popular" [ant: unpopular]
2: carried on by or for the people (or citizens) at large; "the popular vote"; "popular representation"; "institutions of popular government"
3: representing or appealing to or adapted for the benefit of the people at large; "democratic art forms"; "a democratic or popular movement"; "popular thought"; "popular science"; "popular fiction" [syn: democratic, popular]
4: (of music or art) new and of general appeal (especially among young people) [syn: popular, pop]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Latin popularis, from populus the people, a people Date: 1548 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 misconception> 4. commonly liked or approved <a very popular girl> Synonyms: see common • popularly adverb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 liked or admired by many people or by a specified group (popular teachers; a popular hero). 2 a of or carried on by the general public (popular meetings). b prevalent among the general public (popular discontent). 3 adapted to the understanding, taste, or means of the people (popular science; popular medicine). Phrases and idioms: popular front a party or coalition representing left-wing elements. popular music songs, folk tunes, etc., appealing to popular tastes. Derivatives: popularism n. popularity n. popularly adv. Etymology: ME f. AF populer, OF populeir or L popularis f. populus people

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Popular Pop"u*lar, a. [L. popularis, fr. populus people: cf. F. populaire. See People.] 1. Of or pertaining to the common people, or to the whole body of the people, as distinguished from a select portion; as, the popular voice; popular elections. ``Popular states.'' --Bacon. ``So the popular vote inclines.'' --Milton. The men commonly held in popular estimation are greatest at a distance. --J. H. Newman. 2. Suitable to common people; easy to be comprehended; not abstruse; familiar; plain. Homilies are plain popular instructions. --Hooker. 3. Adapted to the means of the common people; possessed or obtainable by the many; hence, cheap; common; ordinary; inferior; as, popular prices; popular amusements. The smallest figs, called popular figs, . . . are, of all others, the basest and of least account. --Holland. 4. Beloved or approved by the people; pleasing to people in general, or to many people; as, a popular preacher; a popular law; a popular administration. 5. Devoted to the common people; studious of the favor of the populace. [R.] Such popular humanity is treason. --Addison. 6. Prevailing among the people; epidemic; as, a popular disease. [Obs.] --Johnson. Popular action (Law), an action in which any person may sue for penalty imposed by statute. --Blackstone.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. Something that is popular is enjoyed or liked by a lot of people. This is the most popular ball game ever devised... Chocolate sauce is always popular with youngsters. ? unpopular ADJ • popularity ...the growing popularity of Australian wines among consumers... Walking and golf increased in popularity during the 1980s. N-UNCOUNT: oft with poss 2. Someone who is popular is liked by most people, or by most people in a particular group. He remained the most popular politician in France... ? unpopular ADJ • popularity It is his popularity with ordinary people that sets him apart. N-UNCOUNT: oft with poss 3. Popular newspapers, television programmes, or forms of art are aimed at ordinary people and not at experts or intellectuals. Once again the popular press in Britain has been rife with stories about their marriage. ...one of the classics of modern popular music. ADJ: ADJ n 4. Popular ideas, feelings, or attitudes are approved of or held by most people. The military government has been unable to win popular support... ADJ: usu ADJ n • popularity Over time, though, Watson's views gained in popularity. N-UNCOUNT 5. Popular is used to describe political activities which involve the ordinary people of a country, and not just members of political parties. The late President Ferdinand Marcos was overthrown by a popular uprising in 1986. ADJ: ADJ n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Of the people. 2. Plain, familiar, easy, comprehensible. 3. Received (by the people), accepted, accredited, favorite, liked, approved. 4. Current, prevailing, prevalent, common, general, in vogue, in favor.

Moby Thesaurus

Babbittish, Philistine, accepted, accessible, acclaimed, accustomed, admired, admitted, adored, advocated, all the rage, all the thing, amateur, applauded, approved, associated, average, backed, beloved, besetting, bourgeois, campy, celebrated, cherished, civil, collective, collectivistic, common, commonplace, communal, communistic, commutual, conformable, congregational, conjoint, consuetudinary, conventional, cooperative, coveted, cried up, current, customary, darling, dear, dearly beloved, desired, distinguished, dominant, epidemic, established, esteemed, everyday, fabled, famed, familiar, famous, far-famed, far-heard, fashionable, favored, favorite, general, generally accepted, habitual, held dear, high-camp, highly touted, hip, homely, homespun, honored, hoped-for, hot, household, in, in common, in demand, in fashion, in favor, in good odor, in style, in vogue, inexpensive, joint, kitschy, laic, laical, lay, leading, legendary, longed-for, loved, low, low-camp, low-priced, marked, mod, modern, much acclaimed, mutual, mythical, new, newfashioned, nonclerical, nonecclesiastical, nonministerial, nonordained, nonpastoral, nonreligious, normal, normative, notable, noted, notorious, obtaining, occupy, of mark, of note, ordinary, pandemic, people, pet, plebeian, pop, populate, precious, predominant, predominating, preferred, prescribed, prescriptive, prevailing, prevalent, prized, prominent, public, rampant, reasonable, received, reciprocal, recommended, regnant, regular, regulation, reigning, renowned, revered, rife, routine, ruling, running, secular, secularist, secularistic, self-governing, set, simplified, smart, social, socialistic, societal, standard, stereotyped, stock, stylish, supported, talked-about, talked-of, temporal, tenant, time-honored, traditional, treasured, trendy, understandable, universal, up-to-date, up-to-datish, up-to-the-minute, usual, vernacular, vulgar, wanted, well-beloved, well-known, well-liked, well-thought-of, widespread, wished-for, wonted