# popularity

Pronunciation: say "pop-yuh-LAIR-uh-tee" US /ˌpɑ.pjəˈlæɹ.ə.ti/, AUS /ˌpɔp.jəˈlæɹ.ə.ti/; UK say "pop-yuh-LAIR-i-tee" /ˌpɒp.jəˈlæɹ.ɪ.ti/

## Noun

1. The state of being widely liked or favored by people in general.
   - Simple: The state of being liked or supported by many people.
   - _The mayor's popularity soared after the new park opened._
   - _Streaming services have surged in popularity over the past decade._

## Noun

2. The quality of being suited or pleasing to common, poor, or unrefined people. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: The quality of pleasing common, poor, or uneducated people.
   - _The sermon's plain style gave it a popularity among the laboring poor that finer oratory never won._
   - _Such ballads had a popularity with the unlettered that scholars openly scorned._
3. Something intended to gain the favor of the common people; cheap crowd-pleasing matter; claptrap. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Something said or done only to win the favor of ordinary people.
   - _His speech was mere popularity, all flattery and hollow promises to the mob._
   - _The senator scorned popularity, refusing to bait the crowd with empty slogans._
4. Public feeling; the general passion or shared sentiment of the people. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: A strong feeling shared by many people in public.
   - _The war stirred a popularity that swept through every town and village._
   - _Wartime popularity ran so high that no dissenting voice was tolerated._
5. The practice of seeking to win over the common people and gain their goodwill. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The act of trying to win the favor of ordinary people.
6. The quality of being cheap, inferior, or vulgar. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: The quality of being cheap, low, or in poor taste.
   - _The furniture's popularity, its gaudy cheapness, betrayed the owner's lack of taste._
   - _Critics noted the popularity of the gilded decor, all flash and no real quality._

## Origin

Formed from "popular" plus the suffix "-ity," ultimately from Latin "popularitas," meaning "an effort to please the people."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/popularity (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).