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popular

popular

31 1.0
Music or art that many people enjoy
  • adjective
  • /ˈpɑːpjələr/
: popular
  • Oh, boy, this is a popular song.
  • popular music
  • popular culture
  • popular musicians

The the popular song that she was going out and doing love that wannabe popular that was hilarious.

Examples

  • I think the TikTok is like the most popular app, especially with young people.

  • Like all children, they were drawn to the distractions of popular culture.

  • You are aware that popular culture has evolved over the last decade.

  • How can you teach popular music to students who have spent years in the classical realm?

    Academic text (2011)
  • Recently, BBC Radio interviewed me spur of the moment about the most popular British baby names.

    Academic text (2011)
  • You may have heard of deer when they went viral last August or from that popular Snapchat filter.

  • And third, touch-screen interfaces are increasingly popular, especially when paired with mobile devices.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The popular song quickly climbed to the top of the music charts, captivating listeners everywhere.

  • TikTok is considered one of the most popular platforms among teenagers and young adults today.

  • This popular dance style has taken over social media, inspiring many to join in and learn the moves.

Synonyms

hot
vspopular
292 3.4

Very popular and wanted by many people

refers instead to new styles that are widely enjoyed especially by young people
in
vspopular
275 2.5

Popular now with many people

highlights new, broadly enjoyed styles that attract general audiences including youth
pop
vspopular
108 2.9

Made to appeal to many people, especially young people

focuses on new styles widely enjoyed by the general public especially young people
fashionable
vspopular
80 2.6

Popular now because it follows the current style

focuses more on new creative styles that appeal broadly, not only style status
trendy
vspopular
70 3.1

Very fashionable and popular now

stresses fresh styles that win wide public attention, especially among young people
in demand
vspopular
52 2.9

Wanted by many people

concerns fresh creative styles that gain broad enjoyment especially among younger listeners
all the rage
vspopular
21 5.5

Very popular and fashionable at a certain time

refers more to newly enjoyed styles that appeal widely, not only brief fads
in fashion
vspopular
20 2.6

Popular and seen as stylish now

emphasizes novelty and broad public appeal, particularly to younger audiences
on trend
vspopular
4 3.7

Fashionable and popular right now

is about newly emerging styles that gain wide public enjoyment, not only trends
hot with
vspopular
  • Informal
1 8.0

Very popular with a certain group of people

means new widely enjoyed styles that attract the general public and youth
mainstreamy
vspopular
  • Informal
1 9.1

Like things most people like in music or film

leans toward new, widely enjoyed styles targeting broad public taste, especially youth

Antonyms

86 7.0

Not well known or famous

Few people wear it now because it is not in style

Compounds

23 1.0

Music that many people like and often hear on radio

A belief that most people in a group share

A place that many people visit, especially tourists

An option many people prefer

6 1.5

A place that many people like to visit

A group of left parties that join to oppose fascism

An activity many people enjoy in their free time

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

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

A type of music liked by many people for a time

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

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

How Mainstream

commercial
145 3.7
trendy
70 3.1
popular
31 1.0
underground
136 5.7

Surface Forms

popular positive
popularer comparative
popularest superlative

Morphology

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

Relates to 'people' (popular = liked by many), but the Latin-derived stem and adjectival suffix are not fully transparent to learners.

Etymology

Popular comes from the Latin populus, meaning 'people', and the same root is in population. So popular music or art is what many people enjoy or want, not just what a few experts like.