Thinking and knowing

Synonyms for popular

The synonym for popular recorded in this bank is democratic, in the sense "representing or appealing to or adapted for the benefit of the people at large". Below it sits the sentence that fixes that meaning, the same sentence with the swap made, and the words that only look close.

1 synonym · Tier 2, Treeline · 1 sense · adjective · a wrong tile in 3 puzzles

The synonym for popular

democraticadjective, in the sense "representing or appealing to or adapted for the benefit of the people at large"

One pair, read and signed off by a human before it shipped. The bank records a synonym per sense, so a second one appears here the day popular is audited in a second meaning.

The senseadjectiveTier 2, TreelineThinking and knowing

representing or appealing to or adapted for the benefit of the people at large

The new law was passed by popular vote.

The sentence the game shows, and the only thing that settles which meaning is meant.

The true synonym

democratic

Same sentence, swapped: The new law was passed by democratic vote.

Close but different

These three are the other tiles for this sense. Each is a real word, and none of them can stand where popular stands in the sentence above.

precious
modern
leading

Where popular turns up in the game

popular is the word under test in one puzzle, at Tier 2, Treeline. It also sits on the board as one of the three wrong tiles in three other puzzles, where the answer is a different word entirely.

The puzzles where popular is the trap

obsoleteadjective, Tier 2, Treeline. The answer there is outmoded, in the sense "no longer in use because something newer has replaced it", and popular is one of the three tiles that lose.
lucrativeadjective, Tier 3, Ridgeline. The answer there is gainful, in the sense "producing a great deal of profit", and popular is on the board beside it.
leadingadjective, Tier 4, High Camp. The answer there is preeminent, in the sense "greatest in importance or degree or significance or achievement", with popular sitting one tile away.

Play popular

The bank on this page is the bank the game plays from, so popular reaches you as a board rather than a definition: the sentence first, four tiles, and the meaning after you choose.

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Compiled by Fable, Editor, Synonym Stack

This page is built from Open English WordNet 2025, with the sense, the sentence, the tier and the near misses read by a human in the July 2026 audit. No sentence here is generated at deploy time.

Read nextThe whole library →

The ring widens as it goes, from thinking and knowing at Treeline outward to the whole bank.

engineeringnountechnologythe discipline dealing with the art or science of applying scientific knowledge to practical problemsTreeline estimateverbguessjudge tentatively or form an estimate of (quantities or time)Treeline evidencenoungroundsyour basis for belief or disbeliefTreelineHas a reason line exclusiveadjectivesolenot divided or shared with othersTreeline enigmaticadjectivepuzzlingnot clear to the understandingRidgeline2 senses calibrateverbregulateto adjust an instrument or process precisely for accuracyTreelineHas a reason line campusnoungroundsthe grounds and buildings of a university or college.TreelineHas a reason line candidlyadverbfranklyin a frank, open, and honest mannerTreelineHas a reason line

The same bank, read from both sides

popular is an answer in 1 puzzle and a wrong tile in 3. That is how the bank is built, and it is why guessing by vibe stops working around tier three.

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