plurality
the excess of votes received by the leading candidate, in an election in which there are three or more candidates, over those received by the next candidate (distinguished from majority).
more than half of the whole; the majority.
a number greater than one.
fact of being numerous.
a large number; multitude.
state or fact of being plural.
Ecclesiastical.
the holding by one person of two or more benefices at the same time; pluralism.
any of the benefices so held.
Origin of plurality
1synonym study For plurality
Other words from plurality
- non·plu·ral·i·ty, noun, plural non·plu·ral·i·ties.
Words that may be confused with plurality
Words Nearby plurality
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use plurality in a sentence
At the presidential level, the winner of the plurality of the vote gets the state’s 16 electoral votes.
Democrats Don’t Need To Win Georgia, Iowa, Ohio Or Texas — But They Could | Perry Bacon Jr. (perry.bacon@fivethirtyeight.com) | October 16, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightIn a Fox News survey from late November, the plurality of people, 47 percent, thought that not all the votes in Florida had been counted.
A Contested 2020 Election Would Be Way Worse Than Bush v. Gore | Clare Malone (clare.malone@fivethirtyeight.com) | October 9, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightSuch reviews can take many months to complete and open up the possibility of the regulator blocking the deal, which it can do if believes the purchase would in any way undermine national security, financial stability or plurality in media ownership.
Why Nvidia’s purchase of Arm worries the U.K. tech sector | Jeremy Kahn | September 14, 2020 | FortuneIt’s not uncommon for a candidate to win with a plurality of only 20 percent or 30 percent of the vote.
Morning Report: New Ethics Concerns for City Council Candidate | Voice of San Diego | September 3, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoThat means the next mayor could be someone who seizes a relatively small percentage of the vote, so long as it’s a plurality.
North County Report: Next Oceanside Mayor May Not Have Much Support | Kayla Jimenez | September 2, 2020 | Voice of San Diego
He won then with less than 38 percent of the vote, the smallest plurality of any winning gubernatorial candidate in the country.
Republican Wave Carries Maine Governor Paul LePage to Victory | Ben Jacobs | November 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTEven on the eve of its passage, at least a plurality said they opposed the law.
After Four Years and Millions of Sign-Ups, Obamacare Is Still Unpopular | Kristen Soltis Anderson | April 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe misuse of conscience exemptions is threatening our hard-won plurality.
How ‘Religious Freedom’ Is Hurting Everyone’s Freedom | Robert Shrum | March 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA large plurality of American voters, and 46 percent of the people who voted in 2012, are between the ages of 18 and 44.
Monica Who-insky? Why Clinton Attacks Won't Work this Time | Jamelle Bouie | February 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe NY Governor has set off a right-wing firestorm, standing accused of seeking to stifle free speech and political plurality.
Governor Cuomo: ‘Extreme Conservatives Have No Place In New York’ | David Freedlander | January 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTEach society of monks elected its superior; for, in the early ages of the church, everything was done by the plurality of voices.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10) | Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)He permitted a plurality of wives, conforming in this point to the immemorial usage of the orientals.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10) | Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)The unity of darkness contains a multiple, a mysterious plurality—visible in matter, realised in thought.
Toilers of the Sea | Victor HugoThe Jews were encouraged to indulge in a plurality of wives; but they were nowhere directed or recommended to live on alms.
Ancient Faiths And Modern | Thomas InmanWe therefore assert the existence of several genera, and that this plurality is not accidental.
Plotinos: Complete Works, v. 3 | Plotinos (Plotinus)
British Dictionary definitions for plurality
/ (plʊəˈrælɪtɪ) /
the state of being plural or numerous
maths a number greater than one
US and Canadian the excess of votes or seats won by the winner of an election over the runner-up when no candidate or party has more than 50 per cent: British equivalent: relative majority
a large number
the greater number; majority
another word for pluralism (def. 1)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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