popular

The word “popular” means liked, enjoyed, or supported by a large number of people. In plain terms, widely liked, or made for a general audience rather than specialists.

“Popular” is pronounced POP-yuu-luh (/ˈpɑ.pjə.lɚ/ in IPA).

Here is “popular” used in a sentence: “The café became popular with students almost overnight.”

The opposite of “popular” — its antonyms — are anonymous and unpopular.

“Popular” is an adjective.

The word “popular” comes from Latin. From Old French populaire and Latin popularis, both ultimately from populus ("people").

“Popular” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

“Popular” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: liked, enjoyed, or supported by a large number of people.

Popular means widely liked or enjoyed, while famous means widely known. The two often overlap but not always: a celebrity can be famous yet disliked, and a local cafe can be popular without being famous. Popularity is about affection and support; fame is simply about recognition.

Not necessarily. Popular only means many people like or support something, which is not the same as quality. A popular product can be poorly made, and an excellent book can go unread. Popularity measures how widely something is embraced, not how good it actually is.

The direct opposite is 'unpopular', meaning disliked or unsupported by most people. Related antonyms include 'obscure' for something few have heard of, and 'niche' for something enjoyed by only a small group. The right choice depends on whether you mean actively disliked or simply not widely embraced.

Here 'popular' carries an older sense meaning of or by the general public, the ordinary people as a whole. The popular vote is the total cast by all voters, and popular opinion is what most people think. It refers to the people at large rather than to being well-liked.