POPULATING Synonyms: 8 Similar and Opposite Words

populating

verb

present participle of populate

as in inhabiting

to supply with inhabitants a small island populated only by woodland creatures

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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.

Recent Examples of populating Lots of really neat features (like easily updating dates and automatically populating a watchlist). — David Pierce, The Verge, 17 Oct. 2026 With a backbone laid out, the process next moved to ProteinMPNN, a tool that works along the backbone, populating it with specific amino acids. — ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026 The ghosts populating Georgetown’s Oakhill Cemetery refuse to accept the circumstances — often abrupt or violent — that ended their lives. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026 Artists and musicians had flocked to dirt-cheap rents, populating the neighborhood with small clubs and cheap tickets. — Michael Calderone, Curbed, 4 Sep. 2026 The Democratic Party needs someone like you to bring the spirit of Rocky Marciano into the political ring instead of the creampuffs populating Democratic leadership today. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 26 July 2026 This reflects China’s decades of investment in math education, which has led to a fresh crop of talented young mathematicians populating the top universities. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 23 July 2026 The natural next step is to certify the data populating those definitions to the same standard as the definitions themselves, because that determines whether organizations can trust the systems built on top of them to act. — Jay Limburn, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026 In practice, that means AI is running the numbers, populating forms, surfacing options, and even suggesting installation dates. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 5 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for populating

Verb

Billy, now inhabiting the body of and living as William, was then able to use his powers to help Tommy’s soul find a new body to inhabit.

— Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Sivan is good at evoking loneliness through imagery, but not always the best at inhabiting it.

— Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of inhabiting

Verb

Dreams of colonizing Mars face many significant obstacles given the harsh conditions (for humans) on the red planet—including housing.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 2 Oct. 2026
These platforms are colonizing existing speculative spaces—like election results and sporting outcomes—while profiting from areas of asymmetrical knowledge that were previously not possible to monetize.

— Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of colonizing

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populates

populating

populist

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“Populating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/populating. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of populating

verb

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