"Famous" vs. "Popular": Difference Explained (50+ Examples)
- Alex
- Sep 17
- 8 min read
Updated: Oct 24
Audio reading by the author. 100% human audio!
Level: intermediate (B1) / pre-advanced (B2)
Pronunciation notes for this post:
1980s = nineteen-eighties
1990s = nineteen-nineties
2000s = two-thousands
2010s = twenty-tens
What's the difference between famous and popular? Let's start with a quick overview:
Quick Reference / Summary
The word famous focuses on knowing.
If something or someone is famous, they are known by many people. For example, many people know who Tom Cruise is, so Tom Cruise is famous.
The word popular focuses on liking, especially during a particular time period.
If something or someone is popular, they are liked, enjoyed, admired, and talked about by many people. In the case of popular things, they are also used by many people. Typically, someone or something is popular during a specific time period. For instance, many people wore colourful clothes in the 1980s, so colourful clothes were popular in the 1980s.
Easy way to remember the difference:
Famous = well-known (meaning, known by many people)
Popular = well-liked, enjoyed, and talked about (meaning, liked, enjoyed, and talked about by many people)
If you are famous because you have done horrible things, you are infamous.
Popular has other meanings and common uses, such as "approved of by many people," "meant for the general public," and "widely accepted."
The opposite of famous is obscure or unknown. The opposite of popular is unpopular.
If I could turn back time...
When I think of the 1980s, I usually think of three things: mullets, music, and movies.
Maybe you had a mullet at some point. It was a popular hairstyle at the time. If you had shorter hair on the top and the sides of your head, and long hair at the back, you had a mullet. Famous American actors like Patrick Swayze, Mel Gibson, and Kurt Russel all had mullets in the 1980s.
In terms of popular music from the 1980s, I think of famous singers like Madonna, Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury, and David Bowie. When I think of movies from that time, I think of big, popular movies like E.T., Back to the Future, and The Karate Kid. These were the people and things that were known and liked by many people in the 1980s.
Today, many people still remember these singers and movies, and that iconic hairstyle.
If many people still remember them today, does that make them famous or popular? Or both? Let's find out.
The Difference between "Famous" and "Popular"
The main difference between famous and popular is the difference between knowing and liking. If something or someone is famous, they are well-known by many people. If something or someone is popular, they are well-liked and enjoyed by many people. The Eiffel Tower in Paris is known by many people around the world, so it is famous. It is also popular because many people visit it and enjoy it.
As you can see, something can be famous and popular at the same time. If we think about some of the things and people I mentioned at the beginning of this lesson, we can use the words famous and popular to describe all of them.
The mullet was a popular hairstyle in the 1980s. Today, it is a famous symbol of that time period. We still think of the mullet when we think of the 1980s.
Patrick Swayze was a popular actor in the 1980s. Many people liked him and his movies at the time, especially Road House and Dirty Dancing.
Patrick Swayze is not alive today (May he rest in peace), but he is still remembered by many people for his movies. We can say he was a famous actor. He was famous in the 1980s, and he is famous today because many people still know his name and his movies.
Madonna is a famous pop singer, and she has been popular during various periods of her career. She was very popular in the 1980s, part of the 1990s, and then during a few years in the 2000s.
Finally, E.T. is a famous movie from the 1980s. Even if you don't know the name of it, if someone says, "Think of a famous alien movie," many people will think of images from E.T.
Now, to make things clearer, let's separate the two words and look at a bunch of examples.
How to Use "Famous"
Remember, if something or someone is famous, they are well-known, which means that many people know them. In this case, you can say they are a household name, which means that people in most homes will be able to recognize their name. With fame (the noun form of famous), we only care about recognition. Here are numerous examples that use the word famous in context:
"Alexander Graham Bell is famous for inventing the telephone."
"Metallica is probably the most famous heavy metal band of all time."
"Does this pasta use Grandma's famous secret sauce?" (In this case, Grandma's pasta sauce is famous to many members of one family. So, it is well-known and therefore famous in her family.)
"Do you think The Beatles will still be famous 100 years from now?"
"She was famous for always getting one-hundred percent on her math tests." (This means that she was well-known for this. Many people in her class or in her school recognized her as "the girl who always gets one-hundred on her math tests.")
"Most Americans don't know Hayao Miyazaki, but he's really famous in Japan."
"He's famous, but a lot of people don't like him right now."
"The Empire State Building is the most famous building in New York City."
"The most famous painting in the world is probably the Mona Lisa by Leonard da Vinci."
"The most famous mountain in Japan is Mount Fuji."
"Was Edgar Allan Poe famous while he was alive?"
"George Orwell was one of the most famous writers of the twentieth century."
Now, let's move on to the word popular.
How to Use "Popular"
To repeat, if something or someone is popular, they are well-liked, which means that many people like them. Usually, something or someone is popular during a particular time period. Another way to say this, especially when we are talking about things, is that they are in fashion. We have already mentioned this with multiple examples from the 1980s. Remember the movie, E.T.? It's famous and it was popular in the 1980s, but it's not really popular today. Maybe someone will direct a remake of it in the future to make it popular again, but for now, it's just a part of cinematic history.
Another aspect of popularity (the noun form of popular) is that when something or someone is popular, you see them and hear about them everywhere. Many people enjoy them and talk about them.
Here are some more examples of the word popular in context:
"Marvel movies were really popular in the 2000s and 2010s." (Pronunciation: the two-thousands and the twenty-tens.)
"He was one of the popular kids in high school." (This means that many people, including teachers and administrators, liked him in high school and that most people probably knew who he was.)
"Is Taylor Swift still popular?"
"Which social media apps are popular among teenagers these days?" (Meaning, "Which social media apps are used and enjoyed by teenagers these days?")
"Who's more popular today? Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?" (Meaning, "Do more people like Messi or Ronaldo today?")
"She was the most popular girl in school." (Meaning, most people knew her, liked her, and talked about her.)
"Do you remember when fidget spinners were really popular?"
"Soccer is the most popular sport in the world."
"The most popular Nintendo character is Super Mario."
"The Taj Mahal is a popular tourist destination in India."
"That movie theatre is a popular meeting place for young people."
"Cats and dogs are still the most popular family pets."
Can someone be famous but not popular?
Yes! For example, there are famous people who are not well-liked by a significant number of people, or who were not well-liked by a majority of people in the past. At this point, it is important to remember that the word popular also means enjoyed and talked about by many people during a particular time period. We have already mentioned the singer Madonna as someone who is famous, but who is not currently popular, meaning that she is not active and that not as many people are talking about her today as in the past.
Can someone be famous for doing bad things?
If someone is well-known for doing terrible things, yes, they are famous, but there is a more precise word to use in this case. That word is infamous. For example, "Al Capone was an infamous gangster." This is because in the 1920s, Capone was involved in drug trafficking, murder, and many other crimes in Chicago. He was famous for doing terrible--and what some people would consider evil--things. I'm sure you can think of other infamous historical figures on your own.
Can someone be popular but not famous?
Also yes! A teacher can be popular with their students, but people outside of the teacher's classroom might not know who they are. In the same way, a musician can be popular at a local pub, but people outside of that pub might not know who they are. Most people don't want to be famous and are okay just being well-liked by the people in their lives. This seems like a good way to live!
Okay, we're almost finished. Just one more thing...
Other Meanings of "Popular"
Popular has a few other common meanings and uses. Here is a quick summary of them, with examples:
Approved of by many people
"It was a very popular decision."
"That policy was not very popular with citizens."
Meant for the general public, or suitable for the majority of people
"Do you like popular music?" (You can also say, "pop music" in this case.)
"I think popular culture is fascinating to study."
"She doesn't watch a lot of popular movies. She prefers independent cinema."
Widely accepted (This means that many people accept it.)
"That's a popular theory."
"That was a popular belief in the Middle Ages."
"That's not a popular opinion around here."
That's it! I hope you found this lesson fun and useful, and that you now have a better understanding of the difference between famous and popular.
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Until next time, keep learning and keep practicing.
