Unpopularise

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To cause a person, idea or product to lose public favor and become less widely liked or admired
2. Making something fall out of popular favor so that fewer people approve of or enjoy it
3. Bringing about a decline in general appeal or acceptance for a thing, cause or individual

Etymology: "Unpopularise" is a formation built from two English parts: the adjective "unpopular," which itself combines the prefix "un-" with "popular," and the verb-forming suffix "-ise." Its meaning is the reverse of "popularise," which means to make something widely liked or familiar. The word therefore describes the process of making something lose that general favour. The word is a straightforward English coinage rather than an inherited or borrowed term, so its story lies in the logic of its construction. Because "popularise" was already a verb meaning to make something well known or admired, speakers could add the negating prefix "un-" to the existing verb to create its opposite, and some sources also treat it as built directly on the adjective "unpopular." Either route yields the same sense: to strip a thing of its popularity.

Synonyms: discredit, alienate

Antonyms: popularise, popularize