# populist

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpɒp.jʊ.lɪst/ · frequency rank #17,923

## Definitions
1. A person who advocates populism (a movement against ruling elites who are presumed not to act in the interests of the ordinary citizen).
2. A politician who advocates specific policies just because they are popular.
3. A person who advocates democratic principles.

## Etymology
From Latin populus + -ist.

## Easily confused with
- **populism** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/populism-vs-populist)

## Common misspellings (12)
`oppulist`, `popluist`, `poppulist`, `popuilst`, `populisst`, `populistt`, `populits`, `popullist`, `populsit`, `pouplist`, `ppopulist`, `ppoulist`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/populist