What does "popular" mean?
A person who is popular, especially at a school.
Popular
/ˈpɒpjʊlə/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person who is popular, especially at a school.
- Grammar: popular is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: accepted, accessible, acclaimed, accustomed.
- Useful contrasts: anonymous, unpopular, academic category.
- Usage evidence: What kind of songs are popular these days?
How to use "popular"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "popular" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "popular" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "popular" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "popular" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "popular" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "accepted" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "popular", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person who is popular, especially at a school.
"To pass time, Nicole (Tammy Lynn Michaels), the most vicious of the populars, decides they should play a little game. Earlier that day, in their feminist studies class, the women were discussing Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, a novel ..."
- 2 A member of any political party with "Popular" in the title, such as the Partido Popular in Spain or Popolari di Italia Domani in Italy
- 3 An inexpensive newspaper with wide circulation. in-plural
"Serious newspapers boomed; the populars became tabloid supplements to television, with the television schedules and related features increasingly the core of the newspaper."
- 4 A member of the Populares
"[...] when their ambassadors were come from Samos, and that they saw not only the populars, but also some others of their own party thought trusty before, to be now changed."
Adjective
- 1 Common among the general public; generally accepted.
"Contrary to popular misconception, MacArthur Park is not the worst song ever written."
- 2 Concerning the people; public.
- 3 Pertaining to or deriving from the people or general public.
"At the coming of Calvin thither, the form of their civil regiment was popular, as it continueth at this day: neither king, nor duke, nor nobleman of any authority or power over them, but officers chosen by the people out of themselves, to order all things with public consent."
- 4 Of low birth, not noble; vulgar, plebian. obsolete
"Popular and shallow-headed mindes, cannot perceive the grace or comelinesse, nor judge of a smooth and quaint discourse."
- 5 Aimed at ordinary people, as opposed to specialists etc.; intended for general consumption.
"As a work of popular science it is exemplary: the focus may be the numbers, but most of the mathematical legwork is confined to the appendices and the accompanying commentary is amusing and witty, as well as informed."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 Cultivating the favour of the common people. obsolete
"Such popular humanity is treason."
- 7 Liked by many people; generally pleasing, widely admired.
"The popular late Middle Ages fictional character Robin Hood, dressed in green to symbolize the forest, dodged fines for forest offenses and stole from the rich to give to the poor. But his appeal was painfully real and embodied the struggle over wood."
- 8 Adapted to the means of the common people; cheap.
Adjective
- 1 (of music or art) new and of general appeal (especially among young people) wordnet
- 2 representing or appealing to or adapted for the benefit of the people at large wordnet
- 3 carried on by or for the people (or citizens) at large wordnet
- 4 regarded with great favor, approval, or affection especially by the general public wordnet
Example
"What kind of songs are popular these days?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "popular"?
Common synonyms include: accepted, accessible, acclaimed, accustomed, admired, admired.
How do you use "popular" in a sentence?
What kind of songs are popular these days?
How do you pronounce "popular"?
Pronounced /ˈpɒpjʊlə/.
Etymology
From Middle English populer, from Old French populaire and Latin populāris, from populus (“people”) + -āris (“-ar”).