What does "popular" mean?
Popular: Suitable to common people; easy to be comprehended; not abstruse; familiar; plain. Homilies are plain popular instructions. Hooker.
Additional senses
- 2.Adapted to the means of the common people; possessed or obtainable by the many; hence, cheap; common; ordinary; inferior; as, popular prices; popular amusements. The smallest figs, called popular figs, . . . are, of all others, the basest and of least account. Holland.
- 3.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.
- 4.Devoted to the common people; studious of the favor of the populace. [R.] Such popular humanity is treason. Addison.
- 5.Prevailing among the people; epidemic; as, a popular disease. [Obs.] Johnson. Popular action (Law), an action in which any person may sue for penalty imposed by statute. Blackstone.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00