majority

[ muh-jawr-i-tee, -jor- ]

noun

, plural ma·jor·i·ties.

1. the greater part or number; the number larger than half the total ( minority ):

   the majority of the population.

2. a number of voters or votes, jurors, or others in agreement, constituting more than half of the total number.
3. the amount by which the greater number, as of votes, surpasses the remainder ( plurality ).
4. the party or faction with the majority vote:

   The Democratic Party is the majority.

5. the state or time of being of full legal age:

   to attain one's majority.

6. the military rank or office of a major.

majority

/ məˈdʒɒrɪtɪ /

noun

1. the greater number or part of something

   the majority of the constituents

2. (in an election) the number of votes or seats by which the strongest party or candidate beats the combined opposition or the runner-up See relative majority absolute majority
3. the largest party or group that votes together in a legislative or deliberative assembly
4. the time of reaching or state of having reached full legal age, when a person is held competent to manage his own affairs, exercise civil rights and duties, etc
5. the rank, office, or commission of major
6. euphemistic.
   the dead (esp in the phrases join the majority, go or pass over to the majority )
7. obsolete.
   the quality or state of being greater; superiority
8. modifier of, involving, or being a majority

   a majority verdict

   a majority decision

9. in the majority
   forming or part of the greater number of something

Usage

The majority of can only refer to a number of things or people. When talking about an amount, most of should be used: most of (not the majority of ) the harvest was saved

Other Words From

• nonma·jori·ty noun plural nonmajorities

Word History and Origins

Origin of majority¹

From the Medieval Latin word majōritās, dating back to 1545–55. See major, -ity

Word History and Origins

Origin of majority¹

C16: from Medieval Latin mājoritās, from major (adj)

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. join the (great) majority, to die.

Synonym Study

Majority, plurality, in the context of an election, poll, or other voting situation resulting in a statistically based statement, both denote an amount or number larger than some other. In situations in which only two candidates, options, or positions are concerned, the terms are interchangeable, though majority is by far the more commonly used: She beat her opponent by a large majority. The proposal received a large plurality of “Yes” votes. When three or more choices are available, however, a distinction is made between majority and plurality. A majority, then, consists of more than one-half of all the votes cast, while a plurality is merely the number of votes one candidate receives in excess of the votes for the candidate with the next largest number. Thus, in an election in which three candidates receive respectively 500, 300, and 200 votes, the first candidate has a plurality of 200 votes, but not a majority of all the votes cast. If the three candidates receive 600, 300, and 100 votes, the first has a majority of 100 votes (that is 100 votes more than one-half the total of 1000 cast) and a plurality of 300 votes over the nearest opponent.

Example Sentences

It wasn't enough for the measure reach its 60 percent majority threshold, therefore abortion access will remain limited in the south.

From Salon

Once organizers can tap into those values and find a “shared understanding,” the goal is to have an “overwhelming majority” to win a similar measure in the future.

From Salon

“Hope Clinic in Granite City, Iliinois, just across the river from St. Louis, continues to see the vast majority of their patients traveling from out of state, most of them from Missouri,” Shariyf said.

From Salon

Musk isn’t influencing everything so far—his preferred Senate majority leader, Rick Scott, lost that bid to South Dakota’s John Thune—but it’s clear who’ll be wearing the pants at DOGE.

From Slate

The majority of those employees who wouldn’t be hit work with agencies whose DOGE-style “reorganizations” would require congressional approval—which isn’t inevitable, since Republicans command only small majorities in the legislative chambers.

From Slate

Related Words

• bulk