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

Unions representing the majority of teachers in Northern Ireland are balloting their members on industrial action.

From BBC

But because he lacked a majority, his budget was then disfigured by opposition amendments - from both left and populist right - which removed taxes and introduced more spending, thus changing its essential nature.

From BBC

Pesticides that harm bees were found in the "majority" of English waterways tested in the last year, according to data analysis by two environmental charities.

From BBC

That could be a new majority government - unlikely given the splintering of the French parliament - or a technocratic government, to steer the country until new elections can be held next summer.

From BBC

Two years after the conservative majority overturned national abortion rights, the justices will hear arguments Wednesday over whether states may ban hormone treatment and puberty blockers for adolescents suffering from gender dysphoria.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bulk

Majority Vs. Plurality

What’s the difference between a majority and a plurality?

Generally speaking, the word majority refers to an amount that’s larger than half of a total, while the word plurality refers to an amount that’s the largest of all the amounts that make up a total (even if it’s less than half).

In casual use, the two words are sometimes used interchangeably to mean more than half of a total.

They are also sometimes used interchangeably in an election with only two candidates (though majority is much more commonly used in the context). That’s because, in an election with only two ways to vote, getting more votes necessarily means getting more than half of the votes. For example, in such an election, a candidate can be said to have won by a two-thirds majority or a two-thirds plurality (meaning they have received two-thirds of all the votes cast, with the losing candidate receiving one-third).

The terms are used in differing ways in elections with three or more candidates. In such an election, the word plurality often refers to the highest number of votes received when no candidate has received more than 50% of the vote.

In this context, to win a plurality of votes, you just have to get the largest percentage of all vote-getters, which may not be as high as 50%. For example, a candidate in a three-way race may win the plurality by getting 40% of votes, with the runner-up getting 35% of votes and the last-place finisher getting 25% of votes. To win a majority of votes, a candidate would have to get more than 50%.

Sometimes, plurality refers to how many more votes the winner has than the runner-up, and majority refers to the number of votes by which a candidate has exceeded the amount that would be 50%.

If three candidates were to receive 600, 300, and 100 votes, the winner would have a 100-vote majority (due to having 100 votes more than 500, which is half of the total of 1,000 votes cast) and a plurality of 300 votes over the nearest opponent.

Some types of elections require a candidate to receive the majority of the votes to win the election, while others just require a plurality.

Here’s an example of majority and plurality used correctly in the same sentence.

Example: Although no candidate received the majority of the vote, Ms. Molineaux got the plurality with 40%.

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between majority and plurality.

Quiz yourself on majority vs. plurality!

Should majority or plurality be used in the following sentence?

At 65% of all purchases, sneakers make up the _____ of the company’s sales.