Meaning & use
popular
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Liked or enjoyed by many people.
Grammar: Often followed by with or among: popular with teenagers.
Patterns
- popular with someone
- popular among someone
- popular for something
This is one of the most popular restaurants in town.
The new game is popular with young players.
She is popular among her coworkers.
adjectivebefore a noun
Relating to or shared by ordinary people in general.
Grammar: Comes before a noun: popular opinion; popular culture.
The policy had little popular support.
Popular culture shapes how we talk.
Word forms
| comparative | more popular |
|---|---|
| superlative | most popular |
Common combinations
- hugely popular
- The show became hugely popular.
- popular choice
- Blue is a popular choice for kitchens.
- popular opinion
- Popular opinion turned against the plan.
- popular with
- The park is popular with families.
- popular culture
- Popular culture is full of superheroes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- well-liked
- Well-liked usually describes a person and stresses affection.
- fashionable
- Fashionable means in style now and may not last, unlike general popularity.
- widespread
- Widespread describes things like beliefs or practices that are common, not necessarily liked.
Opposites
Word family
- popularity noun
- the state of being liked by many
- popularize verb
- to make popular
- popularly adverb
- by most people
Practice
The new sneakers are very popular ___ teenagers.
Choose one answer.
Popular with or among is the usual pattern for the group that likes something. Popular for would name a quality, not a group.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “popular”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.