pop·u·list
ˈpä-pyə-list 
1
: a member of a political party claiming to represent the common people
especially, often capitalized
: a member of a U.S. political party formed in 1891 primarily to represent agrarian interests and to advocate the free coinage of silver and government control of monopolies
2
: a believer in the rights, wisdom, or virtues of the common people
1
often capitalized
: of, relating to, or characterized by populism
2
a
b
Examples of populist in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
David Shortell, CNN, 21 July 2024
Advertisement Politics Before embracing MAGA, Vance made big money in San Francisco’s tech world
July 17, 2024
The 39-year-old populist was the Trumpiest of the three finalists; North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio had roots in the party’s pre-Trump establishment.
—Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2024
Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2024
Unions are positioned to take on even more significance in keeping Khan as head of the FTC and how Harris responds to efforts to reject some of Biden’s more populist policy positions.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for populist 
Noun
The populist and the former diplomat Maduro, who took the mantle of the populist Chavismo movement after his predecessor Hugo Chavez’s death in 2013, is seeking his third consecutive six-year term in office.
—David Shortell, CNN, 21 July 2024
Advertisement Politics Before embracing MAGA, Vance made big money in San Francisco’s tech world
July 17, 2024
The 39-year-old populist was the Trumpiest of the three finalists; North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio had roots in the party’s pre-Trump establishment.
—Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2024
Adjective
While every Venezuelan president, populist or elitist, since 1976 has sponsored El Sistema and blatantly used it as propaganda, Montero has become an eloquent dissident against the authoritarian Maduro’s doing so.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2024
Unions are positioned to take on even more significance in keeping Khan as head of the FTC and how Harris responds to efforts to reject some of Biden’s more populist policy positions.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for populist
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'populist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Populist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/populist. Accessed 18 Aug. 2024.
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