Popular

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Popular \Pop"u*lar\, a. [L. popularis, fr. populus people: cf.
     F. populaire. See {People}.]
     1. Of or pertaining to the common people, or to the whole
        body of the people, as distinguished from a select
        portion; as, the popular voice; popular elections.
        "Popular states." --Bacon. "So the popular vote inclines."


        --Milton.
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              The men commonly held in popular estimation are
              greatest at a distance.               --J. H.
                                                    Newman.
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     2. Suitable to common people; easy to be comprehended; not
        abstruse; familiar; plain.
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              Homilies are plain popular instructions. --Hooker.
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     3. Adapted to the means of the common people; possessed or
        obtainable by the many; hence, cheap; common; ordinary;
        inferior; as, popular prices; popular amusements.
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              The smallest figs, called popular figs, . . . are,
              of all others, the basest and of least account.
                                                    --Holland.
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     4. Beloved or approved by the people; pleasing to people in
        general, or to many people; as, a popular preacher; a
        popular law; a popular administration.
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     5. Devoted to the common people; studious of the favor of the
        populace. [R.]
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              Such popular humanity is treason.     --Addison.
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     6. Prevailing among the people; epidemic; as, a popular
        disease. [Obs.] --Johnson.
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     {Popular action} (Law), an action in which any person may sue
        for penalty imposed by statute. --Blackstone.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  popular
       adj 1: regarded with great favor, approval, or affection especially
              by the general public; "a popular tourist attraction";
              "a popular girl"; "cabbage patch dolls are no longer
              popular" [ant: {unpopular}]
       2: carried on by or for the people (or citizens) at large; "the
          popular vote"; "popular representation"; "institutions of
          popular government"
       3: representing or appealing to or adapted for the benefit of
          the people at large; "democratic art forms"; "a democratic
          or popular movement"; "popular thought"; "popular
          science"; "popular fiction" [syn: {democratic}]
       4: comprehensible to the general public; "written for the
          popular press in plain nontechnical language" [syn: {plain}]
       5: (of music or art) new and of general appeal (especially
          among young people) [syn: {pop}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  190 Moby Thesaurus words for "popular":
     Babbittish, Philistine, accepted, accessible, acclaimed,
     accustomed, admired, admitted, adored, advocated, all the rage,
     all the thing, amateur, applauded, approved, associated, average,
     backed, beloved, besetting, bourgeois, campy, celebrated,
     cherished, civil, collective, collectivistic, common, commonplace,
     communal, communistic, commutual, conformable, congregational,
     conjoint, consuetudinary, conventional, cooperative, coveted,
     cried up, current, customary, darling, dear, dearly beloved,
     desired, distinguished, dominant, epidemic, established, esteemed,
     everyday, fabled, famed, familiar, famous, far-famed, far-heard,
     fashionable, favored, favorite, general, generally accepted,
     habitual, held dear, high-camp, highly touted, hip, homely,
     homespun, honored, hoped-for, hot, household, in, in common,
     in demand, in fashion, in favor, in good odor, in style, in vogue,
     inexpensive, joint, kitschy, laic, laical, lay, leading, legendary,
     longed-for, loved, low, low-camp, low-priced, marked, mod, modern,
     much acclaimed, mutual, mythical, new, newfashioned, nonclerical,
     nonecclesiastical, nonministerial, nonordained, nonpastoral,
     nonreligious, normal, normative, notable, noted, notorious,
     obtaining, occupy, of mark, of note, ordinary, pandemic, people,
     pet, plebeian, pop, populate, precious, predominant, predominating,
     preferred, prescribed, prescriptive, prevailing, prevalent, prized,
     prominent, public, rampant, reasonable, received, reciprocal,
     recommended, regnant, regular, regulation, reigning, renowned,
     revered, rife, routine, ruling, running, secular, secularist,
     secularistic, self-governing, set, simplified, smart, social,
     socialistic, societal, standard, stereotyped, stock, stylish,
     supported, talked-about, talked-of, temporal, tenant, time-honored,
     traditional, treasured, trendy, understandable, universal,
     up-to-date, up-to-datish, up-to-the-minute, usual, vernacular,
     vulgar, wanted, well-beloved, well-known, well-liked,
     well-thought-of, widespread, wished-for, wonted