minority
Americannoun
plural
minorities-
the smaller part or number; a number, part, or amount forming less than half of the whole.
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a smaller party or group opposed to a majority, as in voting or other action.
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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.
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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.
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a member of such a group.
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the state or period of being under the legal age of full responsibility.
adjective
noun
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the smaller in number of two parts, factions, or groups
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a group that is different racially, politically, etc, from a larger group of which it is a part
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the state of being a minor
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the period during which a person is below legal age Compare majority
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(modifier) relating to or being a minority
a minority interest
a minority opinion
Other Word Forms
- nonminority adjective
- prominority adjective
Etymology
Origin of minority
First recorded in 1450–1500; late Middle English, from Middle French minorité, from Medieval Latin minōritāt-, stem of minōritās; minor, -ity
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.
Shah was one of eight people from an ethnic minority background to be featured on the Heathrow posters.
From BBC
To these ordinary folks, the Ayatollah Khomeini made sweeping promises that the poor, religious minorities and women would be better off under his rule.
The Kurds, whose community spans areas of Turkey through Syria, Iraq and Iran, make up one of Iran's most important non-Persian ethnic minority groups.
From Barron's
The blunt-spoken president’s own political skills have rapidly improved, enabling him to cobble together legislative majorities while his own Freedom Advances party remains in the minority.
From Barron's
Mr. Brownback proposes that “ethnic and religious minorities must be allowed to organize and control their own security forces,” but that alone is not a cure.
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.
