minority
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mi·nor·i·ty
(mə-nôr′ĭ-tē, -nŏr′-, mī-)n. pl. mi·nor·i·ties
1.
a. The smaller in number of two groups forming a whole.
b. A group or party having fewer than a controlling number of votes.
2.
a. A racial, religious, political, national, or other group thought to be different from the larger group of which it is part.
b. A group having little power or representation relative to other groups within a society.
c. A member of one of these groups. See Usage Note at color.
3. Law The state or period of being younger than the age for legal adulthood: still in her minority.
[French minorité, from Medieval Latin minōritās, from Latin minor, smaller; see minor.]
Usage Note: Socially speaking, a minority is an ethnic, racial, religious, or other group having a distinctive presence within a larger society. Some people object to this term as negative or dismissive, and it should be avoided in contexts where a group's status with regard to the majority population is irrelevant. Thus we would normally say a poem celebrating the diversity of cultures (not minorities) in America, where the emphasis is cultural as opposed to statistical or political. But in the appropriate context, as when discussing a group from a social or demographic point of view, minority is a useful term that need not be avoided as offensive. · A different problem arises when minority is used to refer to an individual rather than a group, as in the sentence As a minority, I am particularly sensitive to the need for fair hiring practices. In our 2011 survey, 58 percent of the Usage Panel found this example unacceptable. However, when the word was used in the plural without a numeral or a quantifier like many or some—as in The firm announced plans to hire more minorities and women—the Panelists were more approving, with only 25 percent judging an example such as this one unacceptable The discrepancy in these opinions can be explained by the fact that in this type of plural usage, the word is understood as referring to the members of a group taken collectively rather than as individuals.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
minority
(maɪˈnɒrɪtɪ; mɪ-)n, pl -ties
1. the smaller in number of two parts, factions, or groups
2. (Sociology) a group that is different racially, politically, etc, from a larger group of which it is a part
3.
a. the state of being a minor
b. the period during which a person is below legal age. Compare majority
4. (modifier) relating to or being a minority: a minority interest; a minority opinion.
[C16: from Medieval Latin minōritās, from Latin minor]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
mi•nor•i•ty
(mɪˈnɔr ɪ ti, -ˈnɒr-, maɪ-)n., pl. -ties,
adj. n.
1. the smaller part or number; a number, part, or amount forming less than half of the whole.
2. a smaller group opposed to a majority.
3. Also called minor′ity group`. a group differing, esp. in race, religion, or ethnic background, from the majority of a population.
4. a member of such a group.
5. the state or period of being under full legal age.
adj. 6. of or pertaining to a minority.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
minority
If something is true of a minority of the people or things in a group, it is true of less than half of the whole group.
Only a minority of cable and satellite viewers are shocked by what they see on television.
You can talk about a small minority (for example 8%) or a large minority (for example 40%).
Only a small minority of children get a chance to benefit from the system.
The incomes of a large minority of tenants are inadequate to enable them to pay their rents.
When a minority is not followed by 'of', you can use either a plural or singular form of a verb after it. The plural form is more common.
Only a minority were active in pursuing their beliefs.
When you use a minority of followed by a plural noun, you must use a plural form of a verb after it.
Only a minority of people ever become actively engaged on any issue.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Noun | 1. | minority - a group of people who differ racially or politically from a larger group of which it is a part social group - people sharing some social relation |
2. | minority - being or relating to the smaller in number of two parts; "when the vote was taken they were in the minority"; "he held a minority position" | |
3. | minority - any age prior to the legal age legal status - a status defined by law |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
minority
nounThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
أقَلِيَّةٌأقَليَّه
menšina
minoritet
vähemmistö
manjina
kisebbség
minnihluti; minnihlutahópur
少数派
소수
menšina
manjšina
minoritet
คนกลุ่มน้อย
thiểu số
minority
[maɪˈnɒrɪtɪ]A. N
B. ADJ
1. [group, interest, view, government] → minoritario
minority language → lengua f minoritaria
minority rights (Pol) → derechos mpl de las minorías
minority language → lengua f minoritaria
minority rights (Pol) → derechos mpl de las minorías
2. (Fin) minority interest; minority stake → participación f minoritaria
minority shareholder → accionista mf minoritario
minority shareholding → accionado m minoritario
minority shareholder → accionista mf minoritario
minority shareholding → accionado m minoritario
3. (US) (Pol) Minority Leader → líder mf de la oposición
House Minority Leader → líder mf de la oposición del Congreso
Senate Minority Leader → líder mf de la oposición del Senado
Singular or plural verb?
When minoría is the subject of a verb, the verb can be in the singular or the plural, depending on the context:
House Minority Leader → líder mf de la oposición del Congreso
Senate Minority Leader → líder mf de la oposición del Senado
MINORITY
Singular or plural verb?
When minoría is the subject of a verb, the verb can be in the singular or the plural, depending on the context:
• Put the verb in the singular if minority is seen as a unit rather than a collection of individuals:
A minority should always be respected, however small it may be Una minoría, aunque sea pequeña, debe ser respetada siempre• If la minoría is seen as a collection of individuals, particularly when it is followed by de + ((PLURAL NOUN)), the plural form of the verb is more common than the singular, though both are possible:
...a minority of agitators want to introduce anarchy ...una minoría de agitadores quieren or quiere traer la anarquía• The plural form must be used when la minoría or la minoría de + ((PLURAL NOUN)) is followed by ser or estar + ((plural complement)):
Only a minority of the demonstrators were students Sólo una minoría de los manifestantes eran estudiantesCollins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
minority
[maɪˈnɒrɪti]Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
minority
n
→ Minderheit f, → Minorität f; to be in a or the minority → in der Minderheit sein; the reforms will affect only a small minority of the population → die Reformen werden sich nur auf eine kleine Minderheit in der Bevölkerung auswirken; you are in a minority of one → Sie stehen allein da
(Jur) → Minderjährigkeit f
adj attr
→ Minderheits-; minority group → Minderheit f, → Minorität f; minority community → Minderheit f; (ethnic) minority students → Studenten pl, → die einer (ethnischen) Minderheit angehören; minority opinion → Minderheitsmeinung f; a minority view → die Ansicht einer Minderheit; minority rights (Pol) → Minderheitenrechte pl; minority programme (Brit) or program (US) (Rad/TV) → Programm, das nur einen kleinen Hörerkreis/Zuschauerkreis anspricht
(US Pol: = opposition) House/Senate Minority Leader → Oppositionsführer(in) m(f) (im Repräsentantenhaus/Senat)
minority
:minority government
n → Minderheitsregierung f
minority holding, minority interest
n (Fin) → Minderheitsbeteiligung f
minority shareholder
n (Fin) → Kleinaktionär(in) m(f)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
minor
(ˈmainə) adjective1. less, or little, in importance, size etc. Always halt when driving from a minor road on to a major road; She has to go into hospital for a minor operation.
2. (American) a secondary subject that a student chooses to study at university or college. Her major is in physics, but she has a minor in computer science.
verb (American) to study something as a minor subject. He is minoring in French.
noun a person who is not yet legally an adult.
miˈnority (miˈno-) , (mӕiˈno-) noun a small number; less than half. Only a minority of people live in the countryside; a racial/political minority.
be in the minority to be in the smaller of two groups. Women were in the minority at the meeting.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
minority
→ أقَلِيَّةٌ menšina minoritet Minderheit μειονότητα minoría vähemmistö minorité manjina minoranza 少数派 소수 minderheid minoritet mniejszość minoria меньшинство minoritet คนกลุ่มน้อย azınlık thiểu số 少数Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
minority
n. minoría, minoridad.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012