- by the public as a whole; generally or widely
- usually; commonly: his full name is Robert, but he is popularly known as Bob
- in a popular manner
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
pop•u•lar•ly
(pop′yə lər lē),USA pronunciation adv.
- by the people as a whole;
generally;
widely:a fictitious story popularly accepted as true. - for popular taste;
for the general masses of people:He writes popularly on many subjects.
- popular + -ly 1570–80
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
popularly /ˈpɒpjʊləlɪ/ adv
pop•u•lar /ˈpɑpyəlɚ/USA pronunciation
adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- looked on or thought of with approval or affection by people in general;
well-liked;
admired:a popular preacher. - Government of or relating to the common people or the people as a whole:[before a noun]popular government.
- found among the people generally:[before a noun]a popular superstition.
- appealing to or intended for the public at large:[before a noun]popular music.
pop•u•lar
(pop′yə lər),USA pronunciation adj.
- regarded with favor, approval, or affection by people in general:a popular preacher.
- regarded with favor, approval, or affection by an acquaintance or acquaintances:He's not very popular with me just now.
- Governmentof, pertaining to, or representing the people, esp. the common people:popular discontent.
- Governmentof the people as a whole, esp. of all citizens of a nation or state qualified to participate in an election:popular suffrage;the popular vote;popular representation.
- prevailing among the people generally:a popular superstition.
- suited to or intended for the general masses of people:popular music.
- adapted to the ordinary intelligence or taste:popular lectures on science.
- suited to the means of ordinary people;
not expensive:popular prices on all tickets.
- Latin populāris. See people, -ar1
- late Middle English populer 1375–1425
- 1. favorite, approved, liked. 5. common, current. See general.
'popularly' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
deathwatch
- fairy ring
- Foxe
- glamour
- law of averages
- Led Zeppelin
- Mason-Dixon Line
- metaphysics
- metaphysical
- midlife crisis
- Muhammad
- pimp up
- pop.
- psychedelic
- reed mace
- Revelation
- Sault Sainte Marie
- sheriff
- Star Wars
- tarantism
- tong
- Trossachs
- Victorian
- Yankee Doodle
- Beaux-Arts
- burr
- cardinal
- condom
- constitution
- Dracula
- drongo
- drunkard
- equinoctial storm
- Fatima
- growing pains
- health food
- -ing
- legend
- pop
- pro-verb
- termagant
- schoolmarm
- shamus
- snakestone
- succeed