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

Even within that tiny minority, Taybeh’s 1,200 residents are fiercely proud of their community and see it as unique.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The 60-vote threshold allowed Republicans to block a “whole host of terrible Democrat policies” when they were in the minority last year, Thune said in an interview Monday with Fox News Radio’s “Guy Benson Show.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Technical strategists see incongruities like this as a sign that the index’s strength has been predicated, somewhat precariously, on the success of a minority of its stocks, making it more vulnerable to adverse developments.

Read more on MarketWatch

Cheney, in charge of the minority report, objected to that idea.

Read more on Salon

The Local Democracy Reporting Service reports that the mother told the court she was convinced of the links between vaccines and autism or ADHD, and believed ethnic minority children were adversely affected by the jabs.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• opposition