populous

populous — adjective

1. describing a country, city, or region where very many people live

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

describing a country, city, or region where very many people live

Example

Jakarta is one of the most populous cities in Southeast Asia.

one of the most populous + plural noun

The river valley became populous after new factories opened nearby.

become populous

Common collocations
  • populous city
  • populous country
  • populous region
  • populous district
Synonyms
  • densely populated

    A neutral phrase common in geography and statistics.

  • well-populated

    Less formal and often slightly milder in meaning.

  • teeming

    More vivid and literary, often suggesting busy movement as well.

  • crowded

    Describes how full a place feels, not its resident population in general.

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

populous + noun

be populous

one of the most populous + plural noun

Usage Note

Mostly used in formal writing about countries, cities, regions, and districts. Unlike crowded or overcrowded, it refers to a place's general population size, not how full it feels at one moment.

Common Mistakes

This village is very population.
This village is very populous.
Use the adjective 'populous', not the noun 'population'.
The district is populous tonight because of the night market.
The district is crowded tonight because of the night market.
'Populous' describes a long-term population, not a temporary crowd.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

For adjective/1, populous is a formal word for a place with many people living there. Densely populated is close in meaning, but it sounds more technical and is common in geography or data writing. Well-populated is a little softer and can suggest that a place has enough people rather than especially many. Crowded is different because it describes how full a place feels at a certain time, not its long-term population. Teeming is more vivid and often adds the idea of lively movement. A populous province may cover a large area and have many residents overall, while a crowded train station may only be full during rush hour.

crowded ↗densely populatedwell-populatedteeming

Common collocations

Nouns

  • populous city
  • populous country
  • populous region
  • populous district

Adverbs

  • highly populous

Phrases

  • become populous
  • one of the most populous

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Populous came into English from Latin populosus, a word built from populus, meaning "people". The basic idea has stayed the same: a place is populous when many people live there. In modern English, it is mainly used in more formal descriptions of countries, cities, and other areas.