Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The quality or state of being popular, especially the state of being widely admired, accepted, or sought after.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Popular character or quality; favor in the eyes of the people; acceptance or acceptability among the people; the fact of being favored by or of having the approbation of the people: as, the popularity of a measure; the popularity of a public officer; the popularity of a book or of a preacher.
  • noun That which catches public favor; anything suited to the vulgar fancy; a piece of claptrap.
  • noun A desire to obtain favor with the people; a currying of favor with the people.
  • noun Vulgarity; commonness.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The quality or state of being popular; especially, the state of being esteemed by, or of being in favor with, the people at large; good will or favor proceeding from the people.
  • noun The quality or state of being adapted or pleasing to common, poor, or vulgar people; hence, cheapness; inferiority; vulgarity.
  • noun Something which obtains, or is intended to obtain, the favor of the vulgar; claptrap.
  • noun obsolete The act of courting the favor of the people.
  • noun rare Public sentiment; general passion.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The quality or state of being popular; especially, the state of being esteemed by, or of being in favor with, the people at large; good will or favor proceeding from the people; as, the popularity of a law, statesman, or a book.
  • noun archaic The quality or state of being adapted or pleasing to common, poor, or vulgar people; hence, cheapness; inferiority; vulgarity.
  • noun archaic Something which obtains, or is intended to obtain, the favor of the vulgar; claptrap.
  • noun obsolete The act of courting the favour of the people.
  • noun archaic Public sentiment; general passion.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the quality of being widely admired or accepted or sought after

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Latin popularitas an effort to please the people

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