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  

/ maɪˈnɒrɪtɪ, mɪ- /

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

Nouns

• minorities
  plural

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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

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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

See Examples For:

minority minorities

That strategy played a role in driving unprecedented turnout among Israel's Arab minority -- descendants of Palestinians who stayed after the country's creation in 1948 and who account for about 20 percent of the population.

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026

Given the ICE raids and general denunciations of immigrants, Mohiuddin, a Muslim and Canadian immigrant, said he’s been impressed by Raman’s outreach to minority communities.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

In the interim, Netanyahu would remain prime minister, but his supporters would form only a minority of parliament.

From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2026

Across the channel from Tudor England, France was convulsed by recurrent violence between Catholics and Huguenots, a minority community of Calvinist Protestants.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

While young minority men with little schooling have always had relatively high rates of incarceration, “before the 1980s the penal system was not a dominant presence in the disadvantaged neighborhoods.”

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

“Speaker Pelosi had set a goal of elevating minorities and women who had historically been excluded from leadership,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

"Women, minorities, people living at the margins and the poorest were the worst hit by this exercise because they're the ones who find it very difficult to produce documents which can prove their citizenship."

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Maybe accepting such minorities as the Mormons—er, Mennonites—would be better than keeping them at arm’s length.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

At first glance, it seems as if the same groups that powered Mr. Obama’s rise—young people, minorities and white voters with college degrees—are behind Mr. El-Sayed’s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

It matters especially for women, for minorities, for anyone society is quick to overlook.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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Related Words

• opposition

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