Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

minor party

American  

noun

  1. a political party with so little electoral strength that its chance of gaining control of the government is slight.

Etymology

Origin of minor party

First recorded in 1650–60

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Early in 2024, Péter Magyar, then an official in Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s governing Fidesz party, publicly left Fidesz and assumed leadership of a minor party.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

Enforcing the rule also would be a major headache for TV stations as all legally qualified candidates on minor party tickets could ask for airtime.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2026

Seymour, who is Māori, heads up the minor party that formed a coalition government with other conservative parties in 2023.

From Salon • Nov. 15, 2024

Mr. Kennedy, 70, is on the ballot in Utah as an independent, and two weeks ago he gained access to the ballot in Michigan, a critical battleground state, through the nomination of another minor party.

From New York Times • Apr. 30, 2024

At the time it was the best showing for a minor party candidate in state history.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 18, 2023

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.