populous

[ pop-yuh-luhs ]

adjective

1. full of residents or inhabitants, as a region; heavily populated.
2. jammed or crowded with people:

   There's no more populous place than Times Square on New Year's Eve.

   Synonyms: teeming, packed

3. forming or comprising a large number or quantity:

   Because of epidemics the tribes are not nearly so populous as they once were.

populous

/ ˈpɒpjʊləs /

adjective

1. containing many inhabitants; abundantly populated

Derived Forms

• ˈpopulously, adverb
• ˈpopulousness, noun

Other Words From

• popu·lous·ly adverb
• popu·lous·ness noun
• non·popu·lous adjective
• non·popu·lous·ly adverb
• non·popu·lous·ness noun
• over·popu·lous adjective
• over·popu·lous·ly adverb
• over·popu·lous·ness noun
• un·popu·lous adjective
• un·popu·lous·ly adverb
• un·popu·lous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of populous¹

1400–50; late Middle English populus < Latin populōsus. See people, -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of populous¹

C15: from Late Latin populōsus

Example Sentences

At 1,047 deaths per 100,000 live births, Africa's most populous nation has the fourth highest maternal mortality rate in the world and the lack of access to Caesareans is thought to be one of the reasons.

From BBC

Property crime statewide is low compared with the last few decades, according to the Public Policy Institute of California, but it increased in 2023 in some of the state’s most populous counties, including Los Angeles and Alameda.

From Los Angeles Times

In the Golden State, the nation’s most populous and economically mighty, Trump’s claimed mandate seemed muted, like a rumbling from elsewhere.

From Los Angeles Times

It will be interesting to see how Harris is performing there compared to Biden in 2020—and to make those kinds of comparisons looking at the more rural Pennsylvania counties that should be able to count fairly quickly because they’re less populous.

From Slate

Another complication in Arizona is that voters in Maricopa County, the state’s most populous, are being asked to complete the longest ballot they have seen in nearly two decades, Orey said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• crowded
• numerous
• populated
• various