majority
gb/məd͡ʒˈɔɹəti/ us/məd͡ʒˈɔɹəti/
A2
English
~ 1000
többség, nagykorúság korhatára, nagykorúság
NOUN
A2
1
többség
B1
Usage pattern:
the majority of [plural noun]
The majority of voters supported the new law.
A választók többsége támogatta az új törvényt.
A clear majority of the team wanted to change the schedule.
A csapat tagjainak egyértelmű többsége változtatni akart az időbeosztáson.
Women make up the majority in our office.
The proposal passed by a slim majority.
The majority of customers prefer online shopping.
Learner examples
The majority of students are in class.
A diákok többsége órán van.
A majority of people like coffee.
Az emberek többsége szereti a kávét.
The majority of cars here are red.
The majority of my friends live nearby.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'majority' with 'most' and use it without 'the' (e.g., 'Majority people' instead of 'The majority of people').
Meaning
more than half of a group
Collocations
vast majority
|clear majority
|simple majority
|majority vote
|majority opinion
Synonyms
most (Less formal and more common in everyday speech; often interchangeable in simple contexts.)
Antonyms
minority (Refers to the smaller number or part, opposite of majority in quantity.)
Themes
politics
|statistics
|society
|core_vocabulary
Definition
More than half of the people or things in a group.
The greater number or part of a total, more than half of the whole amount or group.
NOUN
B1
FORMAL
2
többség
B2
Usage pattern:
win a majority in [organization]
The party won a narrow majority in parliament.
A párt szűk többséget szerzett a parlamentben.
They formed a coalition to secure a majority.
Koalíciót alakítottak, hogy biztosítsák a többséget.
Losing the majority made it difficult to pass new laws.
The ruling party maintained its majority after the election.
Learner examples
The party won a majority in the election.
A párt többséget szerzett a választáson.
They lost their majority in parliament.
Elvesztették a többségüket a parlamentben.
The president's party has a big majority.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'majority' as political control with general numerical majority; context is key.
Meaning
control with over half the votes/seats
Collocations
parliamentary majority
|majority government
|win a majority
|lose a majority
Synonyms
control (General term for having power, but not specific to numbers or voting.)
Antonyms
deadlock (A situation where no side has enough votes to win.)
Themes
politics
|government
|law
Definition
When one person or group has more than half the votes or seats in politics.
Control in a legislative body or decision-making process achieved by having more than half of the votes or seats.
NOUN
B2
FORMAL
3
He reached the age of majority at eighteen.
Tizennyolc évesen elérte a nagykorúságot.
In many countries, the age of majority is 18.
Sok országban a nagykorúság korhatára 18 év.
She will attain her majority next year.
Learner examples
You can vote when you reach the age of majority.
Szavazhatsz, amikor eléred a nagykorúságot.
In my country, the age of majority is 18.
Az országomban a nagykorúság korhatára 18 év.
He reached his majority last month.
Common mistake:
Learners may think 'majority' always means 'most', not realizing it can mean legal adulthood.
Meaning
age when person becomes adult by law
Collocations
reach majority
|attain majority
Synonyms
adulthood (Broader and not necessarily tied to legal status.)
Antonyms
minority (The state of being under the legal adult age.)
Themes
law
|society
|relationships
Definition
The age when the law says you are an adult.
The age at which a person is legally considered an adult and gains full legal rights and responsibilities.
Grammar
Dictionary form
majority
IPA
GB/məd͡ʒˈɔɹəti/
US/məd͡ʒˈɔɹəti/
Syllables & stress
ma - jor - ity (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (jor)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: majority
- Plural: majorities
Word family
Forms
majorities
noun
Core family
major
adjective B1
Advanced or less common
majoritarian
adjective C1
Expressions
by a majority of [number] to [number]
1/bˈaɪ ə məd͡ʒˈɔɹəti əv nˈʌmbɚ tə nˈʌmbɚ/
fixed phrase
voting result margin phrase
Used to show how many more votes one side got than another.
Examples
- The bill passed by a majority of 60 to 40.
- They approved it by a majority of 5 to 2.
majority rule
1/məd͡ʒˈɔɹəti ɹˈul/
fixed phrase
system where most votes win
A system where more than half the votes decide what happens.
Examples
- Democracy is based on majority rule.
- Majority rule decided the outcome.
the vast majority
1/ðə vˈæst məd͡ʒˈɔɹəti/
fixed phrase
almost all of something
Almost all the people or things in a group.
Examples
- The vast majority of students passed the exam.
- The vast majority agreed with the decision.