minority

[mahy-nawr-i-tee, -nor, mi-]

noun

plural

minorities 

1. the smaller part or number; a number, part, or amount forming less than half of the whole.

2. a smaller party or group opposed to a majority, as in voting or other action.

3. a group in society distinguished from, and less dominant than, the more numerous majority.

   The ethnic minority was disproportionately affected by the reduction in preventative medical services.

4. a racial, ethnic, religious, or social subdivision of a society that is subordinated in political, financial, or social power by the dominant group, without regard to the size of these groups.

   legislation aimed at providing equal rights for minorities.

5. a member of such a group.

6. the state or period of being under the legal age of full responsibility.

   Synonyms: girlhood, boyhood, childhood

adjective

1. of or relating to a minority.

minority

/ mɪ-, maɪˈnɒrɪtɪ /

noun

1. the smaller in number of two parts, factions, or groups

2. a group that is different racially, politically, etc, from a larger group of which it is a part

3. 1. the state of being a minor

   2. the period during which a person is below legal age Compare majority

4. (modifier) relating to or being a minority

   a minority interest

   a minority opinion

Other Word Forms

• nonminority adjective
• prominority adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of minority¹

First recorded in 1450–1500; late Middle English, from Middle French minorité, from Medieval Latin minōritāt-, stem of minōritās; minor, -ity

Word History and Origins

Origin of minority¹

C16: from Medieval Latin minōritās, from Latin _minor

Example Sentences

Obama’s remarks come as the Democratic Party faces a reckoning after losing the presidential election in 2024, in part because of declining support from the party’s base, notably minority voters.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Vigilance Elite recently took a minority stake in a new security app company, in exchange for advertising and marketing on his show.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A sizable minority preferred to hold steady, warning that inflation remained elevated and that employment was still relatively solid.

Read more on Barron's

While it remains a popular policy with a large minority of voters it is not necessarily a priority for all those who support it.

Read more on BBC

Bristol City councillor Fabian Breckels made the comment under a post of a photograph of an individual from an ethnic minority who was being accused of stealing copper gas canisters.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• opposition