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popular

popular

1.0
Liked or admired by many people
  • adjective
  • /ˈpɑpjələr/
translation icon : popular
  • It's very popular in Russia.
  • most popular
  • become popular
  • popular culture

This is a name that has been very popular on the name charts.

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Examples

  • He is the host of one of the most popular shows, JK News.

  • Her name is already the third most popular topic in our comments.

  • This is a really popular book club book.

  • We're all very popular in this town.

  • They host the two most popular TV shows in Russia.

  • Elizabeth Warren, hugely popular on the left right now.

  • She is the most popular girl in town.

  • And of course, you're the host of the popular podcast The Drive.

  • The string and wind instruments used in school ensembles were once popular in our society.

    Academic text (2011)
  • This is one of the most popular books among college students.

Synonyms

hot
vspopular
412 3.4

Very popular and wanted by many people

is liked by many people more generally rather than being a huge sensation
widespread
vspopular
256 3.6

Happening in many places or among many people

is enjoyed or admired by many people rather than just being common
fashionable
vspopular
85 2.6

Popular now because it follows the current style

is liked or admired broadly, not limited to fashion or style
best-selling
vspopular
84 2.7

Very popular and bought by many people, like books or albums

is liked or admired by many beyond just purchase figures
prevalent
vspopular
64 3.8

Common in many places or among many people at a certain time

is liked or admired by many rather than merely being common
in demand
vspopular
36 2.9

Wanted by many people

is liked or admired by many without implying current high demand
all the rage
vspopular
24 5.5

Very popular and fashionable at a certain time

is appealing to many people generally rather than briefly fashionable
sought after
vspopular
5 4.1

Wanted by many people

is enjoyed or admired by many but not necessarily actively chased
in
vspopular
1 2.5

Popular now with many people

is liked by many people over time, not only as a current trend
hot with
vspopular
  • Informal
1 8.0

Very popular with a certain group of people

is liked by the general public rather than only by one group

Antonyms

121 2.1

Most people do not like someone or something

1.0

Not popular with many people

Compounds

19 1.0

Music that many people like and often hear on radio

A belief that most people in a group share

An option many people prefer

A place that many people visit, especially tourists

2 1.5

A place that many people like to visit

An activity many people enjoy in their free time

A Palestinian left-wing group that carries out armed attacks against Israel

A group of left parties that join to oppose fascism

The official name of Algeria, a country in North Africa

A Chilean armed group formed in the 1980s that used violence to fight the military government

A Palestinian political group formed in 1967 that carried out armed attacks against Israel

A Palestinian group that supports left-wing revolution and uses political and armed action

A Palestinian political group that uses armed attacks for its goals

A type of music liked by many people for a time

Ideas about the mind and behavior explained in simple ways for many people

A Palestinian armed group that split from al-Fatah in 1967 and attacked Israel

How Popular

adored
2.6
beloved
19 3.4
popular
1.0
liked
1.0

Surface Forms

popular positive
popularer comparative
popularest superlative

Morphology

popular = people (semi-transparent) = popul + ar

The adjective means 'of the people' which relates to 'people', but the form uses Latin-derived 'popul-' and the suffix '-ar' rather than a transparent modern English base, so the connection may not be obvious to all learners.

Etymology

Popular comes from the Latin populus, meaning 'people', and it shares the same root as population. So when something is popular, it is liked or enjoyed by many people — the public likes it.