minority

American  

[mahy-nawr-i-tee, -nor, mi-] / maɪˈnɔr ɪ ti, -ˈnɒr, mɪ- /

noun

minorities plural

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

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adjective

1. of or relating to a minority.

minority British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonminority
  adjective
• prominority
  adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

• minorities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of minority

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

Explanation

If you have eight pennies and twelve dimes, the minority — or smaller portion — of your coins are pennies. If you're left-handed, you are in the minority, because most people are right-handed. That means that right-handed people are the majority (the opposite of minority). Minority is typically used to refer to the smaller of two numbers being compared or to a group of people that is not predominant in a particular country or population. Less commonly, it refers to the time period before someone is of legal age.

Example Sentences

Earlier this year, Hunter Point itself sold a minority stake in its firm as part of a partnership with Japan’s largest trust bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

The intrepid folks who bother to cast a ballot in these first-round races are largely a group of engaged voters, and drawing conclusions from such a narrow minority is a losing game.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

Value-Up program,, a government-led initiative to raise governance standards and better protect minority shareholders.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 3, 2026

Months since Denmark's general election, acting prime minister Mette Frederiksen, the leader of the Social Democratic Party, will form a centre-left coalition minority government.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026

It is only in the unaccountable minority, the “cases,” that the line is crossed, and then there is the devil to pay on both sides, but most of all for the meningococci.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

Related Words

• opposition