supermajority

[soo-per-muh-jawr-i-tee, -jor-]

noun

plural

supermajorities 

1. a majority that must represent some percentage more than a simple majority.

2. a majority greater than a specified number, as 60%, of the total: required to pass certain types of legislation, override vetos, etc.

Word History and Origins

Origin of supermajority¹

super- + majority

Example Sentences

The trade group’s argument is that the tax is unconstitutional at the state level because it was passed with a narrow legislative margin, whereas most policies approved by ballot initiative—as legalization was in 2018—require supermajority approval among lawmakers.

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Nevada’s Republican governor would likely reject any new gerrymander, so voters would need to oust him in 2026 or give the Legislature a Democratic supermajority that could override his veto.

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Alabama over-reached in this case, assuming that the conservative supermajority might be ready to act on “race neutrality.”

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A weak showing could leave him with a Peronist supermajority in the new legislature.

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Callais, the Voting Rights Act is in the crosshairs once again, as the court’s conservative supermajority might strike down the act’s last standing pillar.

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