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Synonyms
minority
- 6 dictionary resultsmi⋅nor⋅i⋅ty
[mi-nawr-i-tee, -nor, -mahy-] 
ɪ
noun, plural -ties, adjective –noun
| 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 differing, esp. in race, religion, or ethnic background, from the majority of a population: legislation aimed at providing equal rights for minorities. |
| 4. | a member of such a group. |
| 5. | the state or period of being under the legal age of full responsibility. |
–adjective
| 6. | of or pertaining to a minority. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To minority
| mi·nor·i·ty (mə-nôr'ĭ-tē, -nŏr'-, mī-) n. pl. mi·nor·i·ties
[French minorité, from Medieval Latin minōritās, from Latin minor, smaller; see minor.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Minority
Mi*nor"i*ty\, n.; pl. Minorities. [Cf. F. minorit['e]. See Minor, a. & n.]1. The state of being a minor, or under age. 2. State of being less or small. [Obs.] --Sir T. Browne. 3. The smaller number; -- opposed to majority; as, the minority must be ruled by the majority.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : minority
Spanish:
minoría,
German:
die Minderheit,
Japanese:
少数
minority
1533, "condition of being smaller," from M.L. minoritatem (nom. minoritas), from L. minor (see minor). Meaning "state of being under legal age" is from 1547; that of "smaller number or part" is from 1736. The meaning "group of people separated from the rest of a community by race, religion, language, etc." is from 1921.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: mi·nor·i·ty
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ties
1 a : the period before attainment of majority b : the state of being a minor
2 : the smaller of two groups constituting a whole: as a : a group (as in a legislative body) having less than the number of votes necessary for control b : a group of judges among those hearing an appeal who disagree with the majority's judgment : DISSENT 3 c : a group of jurisdictions taking a less widespread approach to or view of a legal question, issue, or problem
3 a : a part of a population differing esp. from the dominant group in some characteristics (as race, sex, or national origin) and often subject to differential treatment b : a member of a minority
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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minority
a culturally, ethnically, or racially distinct group that coexists with but is subordinate to a more dominant group. As the term is used in the social sciences, this subordinancy is the chief defining characteristic of a minority group. As such, minority status does not necessarily correlate to population. In some cases one or more so-called minority groups may have a population many times the size of the dominating group, as was the case in South Africa under apartheid (c. 1950-91).
Learn more about minority with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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