popularity contest
noun
: a contest or situation in which the person who wins or is most successful is the one who is most popular rather than the one who is most skillful, qualified, etc.
The election was just a popularity contest. Voters didn't really care about the issues.
—often used to say that someone or something is not popularAfter laying off hundreds of workers, the company isn't going to win any popularity contests around here.
Examples of popularity contest in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Based on Robert Harris’s 2016 novel, Conclave, in theaters now, follows the titular process of electing a new pope, a secretive task that the film suggests is mostly a popularity contest full of rumormongering and backstabbing.
—
Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2024
In the popularity contest, Trump and Harris are tied again with 43% positive ratings.
—Keely Bastow, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 13 Oct. 2024
It’s supposed to be a dance competition and not a popularity contest.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2024
The truth is, leadership is not a popularity contest.
—Benjamin Laker, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
The Emmys, the biggest awards in the TV biz, aren’t a popularity contest.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 13 Sep. 2024
Each person was announced one name at a time, which worked as a kind of de facto popularity contest.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 17 Feb. 2024
The show started out as this popularity contest, but also a chance for different personalities and people who would’ve never gotten together to become friends.
—Ben Rosenstock, TIME, 10 May 2024
Take, for example, the race for governor, the highest office in the mock government, which quickly becomes a popularity contest.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2024
In the popularity contest, Trump and Harris are tied again with 43% positive ratings.
—Keely Bastow, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 13 Oct. 2024
It’s supposed to be a dance competition and not a popularity contest.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2024
The truth is, leadership is not a popularity contest.
—Benjamin Laker, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
The Emmys, the biggest awards in the TV biz, aren’t a popularity contest.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 13 Sep. 2024
Each person was announced one name at a time, which worked as a kind of de facto popularity contest.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 17 Feb. 2024
The show started out as this popularity contest, but also a chance for different personalities and people who would’ve never gotten together to become friends.
—Ben Rosenstock, TIME, 10 May 2024
Take, for example, the race for governor, the highest office in the mock government, which quickly becomes a popularity contest.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2024
Dictionary Entries Near popularity contest
Cite this Entry
“Popularity contest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/popularity%20contest. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share