majority
gb/məd͡ʒˈɔɹəti/ us/məd͡ʒˈɔɹəti/
A2
English
~ 1000
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
quantity
1
more than half of a group
More than half of the people or things in a group.
Usage pattern:
the majority of [plural noun]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'majority' with 'most' and use it without 'the' (e.g., 'Majority people' instead of 'The majority of people').
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.)
Collocations
vast majority
|clear majority
|simple majority
|majority vote
|majority opinion
Themes
politics
|statistics
|society
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The majority of voters supported the new law.
- A clear majority of the team wanted to change the schedule.
- 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 majority of people like coffee.
- The majority of cars here are red.
- The majority of my friends live nearby.
Noun
formal
B1
relation
2
control with over half the votes/seats
When one person or group has more than half the votes or seats in politics.
Usage pattern:
win a majority in [organization]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'majority' as political control with general numerical majority; context is key.
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.)
Collocations
parliamentary majority
|majority government
|win a majority
|lose a majority
Themes
politics
|government
|law
Examples
- The party won a narrow majority in parliament.
- They formed a coalition to secure a majority.
- 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.
- They lost their majority in parliament.
- The president's party has a big majority.
Noun
formal
B2
quantity
3
age when person becomes adult by law
The age when the law says you are an adult.
Common mistake:
Learners may think 'majority' always means 'most', not realizing it can mean legal adulthood.
Synonyms
adulthood (Broader and not necessarily tied to legal status.)
Antonyms
minority (The state of being under the legal adult age.)
Collocations
reach majority
|attain majority
Themes
law
|society
|relationships
Examples
- He reached the age of majority at eighteen.
- In many countries, the age of majority is 18.
- She will attain her majority next year.
Learner examples
- You can vote when you reach the age of majority.
- In my country, the age of majority is 18.
- He reached his majority last month.
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.