Unpopular

How to spell unpopular

9 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce unpopular

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does unpopular mean?

1. adjectiveDisliked or not favoured by many people.

Unpopular in a sentence

• The new parking charges proved deeply unpopular with local residents.

• Cutting the holiday allowance was an unpopular decision among the staff.

Where does unpopular come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word is built from the negative prefix un-, meaning 'not', attached to 'popular', which English took in the late 1400s from the Latin popularis, meaning 'belonging to the people' or 'devoted to the people'. That adjective rests on populus, the Latin word for 'the people' or 'the public', the very same root that gives us 'population', 'public', and 'people' itself. Originally 'popular' simply meant 'of the common people', and only later shifted toward its modern sense of 'widely liked'. The negated form 'unpopular' emerged in English in the 1600s, describing whatever the public disliked or refused to favour. Because the spelling keeps the Latin -ar ending rather than the more familiar -er, the closing syllable is the spot where writers most often hesitate.

How the word is built

• un- (not)
• popul- (from Latin populus: the people)
• -ar (adjective suffix: relating to)