Majority

Pronunciation

• US IPA: /məˈdÊ’É‘rɪti/, /məˈdÊ’É”rɪti/

Origin

From Middle French majorité.

Full definition of majority

Noun

1. More than half (50%) of some groupThe majority agreed that the new proposal was the best.Those opposing the building plans were in the majority, so the building project was canceled.
• 1920, Champ Clark, S:Democratic Achievement, But in 1912 the American people gave the Democrats another opportunity, and under the leadership of Woodrow Wilson we swept the country from sea to sea. At the end of that historic contest we had the Presidency, the Senate by a working majority, and the House by an overwhelming majority.
2. The difference between the winning vote and the rest of the votesThe winner with 53% had a 6% majority over the loser with 47%.
3. (dated) Legal adulthoodBy the time I reached my majority, I had already been around the world twice.
4. (UK) The office held by a member of the armed forces in the rank of majorOn receiving the news of his promotion, Charles Snodgrass said he was delighted to be entering his majority.
5. Ancestors; ancestry.

Usage notes

Majority in the sense of "more than half" is used with countable nouns only; for example, "The majority of the members of the committee were in favour of the motion." It is incorrect to use with it uncountable nouns, as in "The majority of the world is covered with water." In the latter case, it is preferable to use expressions such as "the larger part of" or "most of" instead of the "the majority of",

Antonyms

• (more than half) minority

Derived terms

Related terms

• major
• plurality