populist
populist Lexical Profile
populist Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Relating to or characteristic of a political approach that strives to appeal to ordinary people in opposition to established elites.
"The candidate's populist rhetoric resonated strongly with voters in industrial towns."
• noun
A person, especially a politician or activist, who claims to represent the interests and views of ordinary people against a perceived elite establishment.
"Campaigning as a fearless populist, she promised to reform the tax system in favor of working families."
Word Nuance & Usage
Depending on the speaker's perspective, 'populist' can carry either a positive connotation of championing working-class interests or a pejorative connotation of exploiting public grievances through demagoguery.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in American English in 1891 to describe members of the newly formed People's Party, derived from the Latin 'populus' meaning 'people' and the suffix '-ist'.