What does "population" mean?
The people living within a political or geographical boundary.
Population
/ˌpɒp.jʊˈleɪ.ʃən/ noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The people living within a political or geographical boundary.
- Grammar: population is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: universe, absolute magnitude, anchorage, animal group.
- Useful contrasts: empirical study sample, individual organism, individual sample.
- Usage evidence: Cole's Axiom: The sum of the intelligence on the planet is a constant; the population is growing.
How to use "population"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "population" 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 "population" 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 "population" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "population" 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 "population" is acting as 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 "universe" 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 "population", 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 The people living within a political or geographical boundary.
"The population of New Jersey will not stand for this!"
- 2 the act of populating (causing to live in a place) wordnet
- 3 The people with a given characteristic. broadly
"India has the third-largest population of English-speakers in the world."
- 4 (statistics) the entire aggregation of items from which samples can be drawn wordnet
- 5 A count of the number of residents within a political or geographical boundary such as a town, a nation or the world.
"The town’s population is only 243."
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 a group of organisms of the same species inhabiting a given area wordnet
- 7 A count of the number of residents within a political or geographical boundary such as a town, a nation or the world.; The number of living cells in a pattern.
"This is one of several known "sawtooth" patterns, in which the population is unbounded but does not tend to infinity."
- 8 the people who inhabit a territory or state wordnet
- 9 A collection of organisms of a particular species, sharing a particular characteristic of interest, most often that of living in a given area.
"A seasonal migration annually changes the populations in two or more biotopes drastically, many twice in opposite senses."
- 10 the number of inhabitants (either the total number or the number of a particular race or class) in a given place (country or city etc.) wordnet
- 11 A group of units (persons, objects, or other items) enumerated in a census or from which a sample is drawn.
"[…]it is possible it [the Anglo-Saxon race] might stand second to the Scandinavian countries [in average height] if a fair sample of their population were obtained."
- 12 The act of filling initially empty items in a collection.
"John clicked the Search button and waited for the population of the list to complete."
- 13 General population.
"I would like to say something about the place I am doing time at. When I was placed in population, I met another woman and we immediately became good friends."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
empirical study sampleindividual organismindividual samplesingle organism
Example
"Cole's Axiom: The sum of the intelligence on the planet is a constant; the population is growing."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "population"?
Common synonyms include: universe, absolute magnitude, anchorage, animal group, beehive, binary star.
How do you use "population" in a sentence?
Cole's Axiom: The sum of the intelligence on the planet is a constant; the population is growing.
How do you pronounce "population"?
Pronounced /ˌpɒp.jʊˈleɪ.ʃən/.
Etymology
Borrowed from Late Latin populatio (“a people, multitude”), as if a noun of action from Classical Latin populus, equivalent to populate + -ion. Doublet of poblacion.