Public and Popular

Public

Public adjective - Not known by only a select few.
Usage example: the mayor's indiscretions have been public knowledge for some time

Popular is a synonym for public in known topic. In some cases you can use "Popular" instead an adjective "Public", when it comes to topics like community, politics, general. popular alternative

Popular

Popular adjective - Held by or applicable to a majority of the people.
Usage example: popular opinion on that issue has changed dramatically over the years

Public is a synonym for popular in common topic. You can use "Public" instead the word "Popular" as an adjective or a noun, if it concerns topics such as mass, politics. popular alternative

Cite this Source
Popular and Public. (2016). Retrieved 2023, June 08, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/public/popular
Public & Popular. N.p., 2016. Web. 08 Jun. 2023. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/public/popular>.
Popular or Public. 2016. Accessed June 08, 2023. https://thesaurus.plus/related/public/popular.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "public" and "popular" have occurred on timeline