popularity contest
noun
: a contest or situation in which the person who wins or is most successful is the one who is most popular rather than the one who is most skillful, qualified, etc.
The election was just a popularity contest. Voters didn't really care about the issues.
—often used to say that someone or something is not popularAfter laying off hundreds of workers, the company isn't going to win any popularity contests around here.
Examples of popularity contest in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The relative success or failure of the next fashion IPOs is going to depend on the company, the market at the moment and the popularity contest that can steer investments.
—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
29 June 2026
The rivalry between the two wrestling organizations would become known as the Monday Night War, a particularly intensive popularity contest through the 1990s.
—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
6 May 2026
Democrats don’t expect that to work, but they’ve been rattled by the GOP’s Youngkin-Spanberger popularity contest.
—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
14 Apr. 2026
Companies would run more smoothly, and teams would be happier and more effective if we were taught that leadership is not a popularity contest.
—
Peter D. Banko,
Forbes.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Political leaders, mayors in particular, tend to be local folks from some industry or organization who are elected based on charisma and their messages of intent — basically a popularity contest.
—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
17 Jan. 2026
Is this basically a popularity contest?
—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
16 Dec. 2025
Time's Person of the Year is not a popularity contest, and the Time annual cover is traditionally someone who dominated the year or caused the most cultural, scientific or geopolitical change for good or bad.
—
C. A. Bridges,
USA Today,
9 Dec. 2025
Elections reduce that complex hiring decision to a popularity contest shaped by slogans, mailers, donor lists and how popular the folks above you on the ballot are.
—
Eugene M. Hyman,
Mercury News,
18 Nov. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
29 June 2026
The rivalry between the two wrestling organizations would become known as the Monday Night War, a particularly intensive popularity contest through the 1990s.
—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
6 May 2026
Democrats don’t expect that to work, but they’ve been rattled by the GOP’s Youngkin-Spanberger popularity contest.
—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
14 Apr. 2026
Companies would run more smoothly, and teams would be happier and more effective if we were taught that leadership is not a popularity contest.
—
Peter D. Banko,
Forbes.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Political leaders, mayors in particular, tend to be local folks from some industry or organization who are elected based on charisma and their messages of intent — basically a popularity contest.
—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
17 Jan. 2026
Is this basically a popularity contest?
—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
16 Dec. 2025
Time's Person of the Year is not a popularity contest, and the Time annual cover is traditionally someone who dominated the year or caused the most cultural, scientific or geopolitical change for good or bad.
—
C. A. Bridges,
USA Today,
9 Dec. 2025
Elections reduce that complex hiring decision to a popularity contest shaped by slogans, mailers, donor lists and how popular the folks above you on the ballot are.
—
Eugene M. Hyman,
Mercury News,
18 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Popularity contest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/popularity%20contest. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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