What does "popularity" mean?
Popularity: The quality or state of being adapted or pleasing to common, poor, or vulgar people; hence, cheapness; inferiority; vulgarity. This gallant laboring to avoid popularity falls into a habit of affectation. B. Jonson.
Additional senses
- 2.Something which obtains, or is intended to obtain, the favor of the vulgar; claptrap. Popularities, and circumstances which . . . sway the ordinary judgment. Bacon.
- 3.The act of courting the favor of the people. [Obs.] "Indicted . . . for popularity and ambition." Holland.
- 4.Public sentiment; general passion. [R.] A little time be allowed for the madness of popularity to cease. Bancroft.
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