as in crowded
formal
having a large population
a populous seaport the most populous state in the U.S.
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Recent Examples of populous
India, the most populous country, uses LPG as its primary cooking fuel.
—
USA Today, 18 May 2026
Anaheim, the county’s most populous city, saw a similar number of unhoused people compared to 2024, but a rise in those staying in emergency shelters — up from 816 in 2024 to 891, or about a 9% increase.
—Claire Wang, Oc Register, 18 May 2026
Abductions of schoolchildren are common in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, especially in the country's north.
—ABC News, 17 May 2026
Newsom is eager to safeguard programs that have defined his tenure as the leader of the nation’s most populous state and one of the world’s largest economies.
—Trân Nguyễn, Fortune, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for populous
USA Today, 18 May 2026
Anaheim, the county’s most populous city, saw a similar number of unhoused people compared to 2024, but a rise in those staying in emergency shelters — up from 816 in 2024 to 891, or about a 9% increase.
—Claire Wang, Oc Register, 18 May 2026
Abductions of schoolchildren are common in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, especially in the country's north.
—ABC News, 17 May 2026
Newsom is eager to safeguard programs that have defined his tenure as the leader of the nation’s most populous state and one of the world’s largest economies.
—Trân Nguyễn, Fortune, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for populous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for populous
Adjective
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Hilton and Becerra have been neck and neck in recent June primary polls, often leading a crowded field of gubernatorial candidates.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
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Curated by Our Editors In the latter outbreak, a person who was likely infected by a rodent and had fever symptoms attended a crowded birthday party with around 100 other people for 90 minutes.—
Tanya Lewis,
Scientific American,
13 May 2026
Adjective
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The celebrity-lookalike shoes come in six colors, including easy-to-wear neutrals and vibrant options like cherry red and pastel pink.—
Jacquelyn McGilvray,
PEOPLE,
23 May 2026
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For how vibrant and buoyant the film’s cinematography, production design, and costume design are, the script and its laborious dialogue are twice as leaden.—
Angelica Jade Bastién,
Vulture,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Populous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/populous. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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