minoritymi‧nor‧i‧ty /maɪˈnɒrəti $ məˈnɔː-, məˈnɑː-/ ●●● S3 W2 AWL noun (plural minorities) 
Gaelic is still spoken in Ireland by a minority.minority of Only a minority of people supported these new laws.small/tiny/substantial/significant minority Gay men are a small but significant minority.minority report (=a report by a minority of a group who do not agree with the others)GRAMMAR: Singular or plural verb?• In this meaning, minority is usually followed by a singular verb: · A small minority refuses to cooperate.• In British English, you can also use a plural verb: · A small minority refuse to cooperate.Grammar guide ‒ NOUNS2[countable usually plural] a)a group of people of a different race, religion etc from most other people in that country: People from ethnic minorities often face prejudice. the very large Russian minorities in Ukraine and Moldova children from minority groups the teaching of minority languages in schoolsminority leader/businessman/student etc American English a school with a high proportion of minority students b)American English someone who belongs to a group like this: Businesses are under pressure to hire minorities and women.3be in the/a minority to form less than half of a group: Boys are very much in the minority at the dance class.4be in a minority of one to be the only person in a group who has a particular opinion5[uncountable] law the period of time when someone is below the age at which they become legally responsible for their actionsCOLLOCATIONSadjectivesa small minority· She is one of a small minority of women working in engineering.a tiny minority· Only a tiny minority of the population actually commit crimes.a large minority· A large minority of women feel happier when their husbands leave them.a substantial/sizeable minority (=a large minority)· A sizeable minority of people sleep less than five hours a night without problems.a significant minority (=a large and fairly important minority)· A significant minority of older people have difficulty in caring for themselves.verbsbe in a minority· Male students are in a minority in this class.represent a minority· Old people still only represent a minority of the population.form a minority (also constitute a minority formal)· This type of cell forms a minority of the cells in the nervous system.affect a minority· The side effects only affect a minority of people who take the drug.minority + NOUNa minority group· It’s ridiculous to refer to women as a minority group.a minority interest· Jazz is a minority interest, but it is still an important part of musical studies.a minority opinion/view· This is a minority view among scientists.a minority stake (=a number of shares in a company, equalling less than half the total number)· IBM has bought a minority stake in the computer company.a minority shareholder (=someone who owns less than half the shares in a company)· A minority shareholder with 10% of voting rights refused to accept the plan.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- minority-owned businesses
- Both republics have sizable Serbian minorities.
- The law prevents job discrimination against minorities and women.
- Assumptions are made that a minority person should be able to speak for all minority peo-ple.
- Pupils from ethnic minorities account for only 4 percent of the school roll.
- Sims said President Clinton remained committed to minority business, especially the 8a program.
- The second way of life is based upon the will of a minority forcibly imposed upon the majority.
- This was a predominantly Protestant force which soon came to be regarded as repressive and bigoted by the Catholic minority.
- Unfortunately, a small minority disagreed.
- Unless the growing spirit of the movement could be harnessed coherently, mob rule would replace Unionist minority rule.
Longman Language Activatora small number of people or things
a small number of people, things, places etc: · Most of the trees were destroyed by the fire, but a few survived.a few people/days/things etc: · She's gone to stay with her father for a few days.· Can I borrow a few dollars until I get paid?· I invited a few friends around on Saturday night.a few of (=a small number from a larger group): · Sean left the gate open and a few of the cows got out.
formal a few people, things, places etc, especially when they are part of a much bigger number: · Hundreds of people begin the training programme, but only a small number complete it successfully.a small number of: · Only a small number of people still speak Gaelic.· The new system is being tested in a small number of schools.· A relatively small number of industrially advanced countries control the world economy.
a smaller number than you expected or wanted: · "Were there many people at the show?" "No, not many."not many people/places etc: · There weren't many people at the party, but we still had a good time.· Not many restaurants stay open after midnight.not many of: · I think I'm quite a good cook but not many of my friends agree with me.
spoken a small number of people or things: · "Do you have any Bob Dylan albums?" "Yes, one or two."one or two people/places/questions etc: · We've had one or two problems with the car but nothing serious.· There are one or two things I'd like to ask you about.one or two of: · I only know the names of one or two of the new students.
especially spoken two, or a small number: · "How many drinks did you have?" "Just a couple."a couple of: · A couple of kids were playing in the street.· I saw her a couple of days ago.
a very small number of people or things, especially when this number is disappointing or surprising: · We offer a gym for our employees but only a handful ever use it.a handful of: · Only a handful of artists in Britain can make a living from painting.· A handful of people stayed after the concert to help clear the chairs away.
a small group of people or things from within a larger group, usually forming much less than half of the larger group: a minority of: · Only a minority of union members voted in favour of continuing the strike.a small/tiny etc minority: · Joyce is among the tiny minority of arthritis sufferers who experience these symptoms.· Every year more than three hundred students enter this program but only a small minority will go on to become lawyers.
if something is sparse , there are only very small amounts of it, especially spread over a large area: · sparse traffic· Trees are sparse in this part of the world because of the continuous wind that blows across the plains.
a smaller amount or number a smaller amount of something. Less is used with uncountable nouns: · I earn less money now than I did then.· Surgery patients now spend much less time in the hospital.· Statistics show that nowadays people drink less beer and smoke fewer cigarettes than they used to.less than: · He always travels by bus because it costs less than travelling by train.· Clive knows even less than I do about this business.· It's a bit less than a mile from here to the station.far less/a lot less: · As a result of these improvements, the car uses far less fuel.less of: · Studies show that people who receive medication when their pain first starts need less of it than people who wait longer.less and less (=when an amount keeps getting smaller as time passes): · As the drought became worse, there was less and less food available.
a smaller number of people or things. Fewer is used with countable nouns: · Schools in the suburbs have fewer discipline problems and better student attitudes.· Spending cuts will mean fewer social workers.fewer than: · No reservations are needed for groups of fewer than 15.far fewer/a lot fewer: · There were far fewer women at the conference this year than last.fewer and fewer: · Since 1985, fewer and fewer people have been drinking decaffeinated coffee, and the trend shows no signs of halting.
less than an amount. Not as much and not so much are used with uncountable nouns.: · There's a lot of snow on the upper slopes of the mountain, but there's not so much down here.not as much/not so much as: · The Chinese don't eat as much meat as Americans do.· Jim worked hard, but didn't earn as much money as he wanted.not as much/not so much of: · I didn't eat as much of the fish as Al, but I still got sick.
fewer than a number of people or things. Not as many and not so many are used with countable nouns: · "Last year our gift shop did very well," said Amy. "But this year we haven't had as many customers coming through the door."· Law firms aren't hiring as many associates this year.· I don't own nearly as many clothes as my sister.· If I get milk and orange juice from the milkman, I don't need to make as many trips to the grocery store.
less than another number or level - use this about prices, wages, temperatures, grades, and other things that can be measured on a scale from high to low: · Foreign workers have fewer rights and get lower wages.· The program is broadcast in the morning, a time when advertising rates are much lower.lower than: · I got lower grades than the other students in my class.
if people of a particular type are in the minority in a particular group, they form less than half of the total group: · In the boardrooms of most big corporations, women are in the minority.· Quentin's supporters were clearly in a minority as the City Council heard arguments for his dismissal.
WORD SETSbaby, nounbaby boomer, nounbabyhood, nounbabyish, adjectiveboy, nounchildren's home, nouncustody, nounfamily, nounfirst generation, nounfoundling, noungame, nounguttersnipe, nounhyperactive, adjectivelegitimate, adjectivelegitimize, verbminor, nounminority, nounmite, nounmotherless, adjectivenurture, nounorphan, nounorphanage, nounpapoose, nounpreteen, adjectiveprogeny, nounpuppy fat, nounragamuffin, nounscamp, nounschool friend, nounsextuplet, nounspoiled, adjectivetinker, nountoddle, verbtoddler, nountoilet-training, nountot, nounupbringing, nounurchin, nounward, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYadjectives Part-time students make up a sizeable proportion of the college population. Bad teachers are a tiny minority.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
· She is one of a small minority of women working in engineering.
· Only a tiny minority of the population actually commit crimes.
· A large minority of women feel happier when their husbands leave them.
(=a large minority)· A sizeable minority of people sleep less than five hours a night without problems.
(=a large and fairly important minority)· A significant minority of older people have difficulty in caring for themselves.
verbs· Male students are in a minority in this class.
· Old people still only represent a minority of the population.
(also constitute a minority formal)· This type of cell forms a minority of the cells in the nervous system.
· The side effects only affect a minority of people who take the drug.
minority + NOUN· It’s ridiculous to refer to women as a minority group.
· Jazz is a minority interest, but it is still an important part of musical studies.
· This is a minority view among scientists.
(=a number of shares in a company, equalling less than half the total number)· IBM has bought a minority stake in the computer company.
(=someone who owns less than half the shares in a company)· A minority shareholder with 10% of voting rights refused to accept the plan.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES (=people whose race, religion etc is different from most of the other people in the country)· There should be better provision for the needs of minority communities.
(=a small ethnic group living within a much larger group)· Ethnic minorities have tended to live together in the same areas of the city.
(=that does not have enough politicians to control parliament)· His party had gained only enough seats to form a minority government.
(=one whose members belong to a different race, religion etc from most other people in a country)· Conditions for many minority groups have worsened.
Part-time students make up a sizeable proportion of the college population. (=one that very few people do)· Minority sports rarely feature on TV.
Bad teachers are a tiny minority.· Project to meet the needs of black and minority ethnic groups were well represented, says the report.· Jesse Jackson descended upon Hollywood to protest the almost total absence of black and minority nominees.· A recent workshop explored black and minority ethnic groups' involvement with the charity.· This leaves one important question: How does the Republican nominee get more of the black and minority vote?· But black and ethnic minority subjects still have low priority in psychology.· Authorities have had varying degrees of success consulting with black and minority ethnic groups over care plans.· There are few black or ethnic minority women or men working in western psychology.· In this section I shall use the term black or ethnic minority to refer to all non-white groups.
· Logically such constructions should make ethnic minorities feel even more powerless than they actually are.· They are democracies, have market economies and are making good-faith efforts to deal with ethnic minorities.· The position of ethnic minorities with regard to the use of education services is predictable.· Now, more than ever, the president will be a hostage to his own ethnic minority, the Zaghawa.· Nevertheless, our results are important and suggest that discrimination does take place against ethnic minorities, apparently at shortlisting.· These experiments show that at least one-third of landlords discriminate against ethnic minorities on grounds of skin colour.· Mounting social tension was accompanied by the swift development of national consciousness among the Empire's ethnic minorities.
· Political consent can not be obtained in a community where a large minority deny the legitimacy of the state.· However, the large nationality minorities in most of them have produced extensive nation-based struggles.· They work in many clinics, health centres and surgeries where there are large ethnic minority communities.· It also defies basic standards of fairness by discriminating against large numbers of minority students.· Even before 1905 a large minority and probably even a majority of their members were drawn from the lower classes.· A large minority favors formal separation.· This same question, however, remains vexatious today for the many school districts with large minority populations.· A large minority of bishops at a 1980 synod on the family, meanwhile, asked that the encyclical be reconsidered.
· Another vital area in terms of sensitive political control were the national minorities.· The participating States welcome the international efforts to improve protection of the rights of persons belonging to national minorities.· Minority rights National and ethnic minorities continued to assert their interests.· The Centre maintains a documentary resources centre and has recently set up a national ethnic minority statistical database.· The position of national minorities was also discussed.· There were strong pressures from still further national minorities for a greater degree of control over their own affairs.· New bodies emerged to represent and press the claims of the more assertive national minorities.· In some countries, national and racial minorities meant that total population figures do not tell the whole story about military strength.
· But there is no specific protection for religious, children's, documentaries, science or other minority programmes.· Blacks and certain other ethnic minority groups form the base of the stratification system.· Citizenship needs to be developed by extending rights to women, blacks, and other minorities.· Like many other minority organisations, we can refute their legitimacy in adopting this guise.· An unholy alliance with other minorities to preserve ideological positions otherwise unacceptable to the electorate does not appeal as a noble enterprise.
· A high-octane mix of racial minorities, a flair for riots and looting.· And that is how racial minorities can actually benefit the most in politics.· In some countries, national and racial minorities meant that total population figures do not tell the whole story about military strength.· I think gay people have become a target group for people who no longer target racial minorities.· Mead also said Heller, Ehrman encouraged him to promote the firm as a progressive company for racial minorities and gays.· Diabetes affects older people and racial minorities disproportionately.· Added to the general problem of urban unemployment was the high concentration of impoverished racial minorities and immigrants in inner-city neighborhoods.
· After their sometimes brutal treatment of ethnic and religious minorities, the security forces may gain a freer rein.· Harrassment of ethnic or religious minorities would result in various international sanctions.· In addition, winners of 10 seats reserved for religious minorities have traditionally backed the largest party.· Are, for example, all political, religious and minority groups equally acceptable?· Yet letting it become law would represent a historic step backwards in a generations-long process of protecting religious minorities.· The sympathetic and informed study of ethnic and religious minorities is crucial for the well-being of our multi-racial society.
· Disability and age While the vast majority of older people are able to live independently, significant minorities experience considerable difficulties.· Even if you had different views, you felt you should not impose those views on a significant minority.· However, there are a significant minority of male carers who must not be excluded.· However, there was a significant minority of floating voters: on average about 20 percent of the electorate.· A significant minority - 21 percent - think it is not very important for staff to receive their own personal copy.· Increasing Skills Schools fail a significant minority of children.· For a significant minority, Marxism remained a callous and abstract scheme.
· It was noted that a sizeable minority of the Shop still wanted to fight for differentials.· A sizeable minority said hardship was forcing them to give up education.· Foreigners were small in number and for the most part temporary residents, but there were two sizeable minority groups in the country.
· Unfortunately, a small minority disagreed.· However, there may be a small minority of residents who refuse to be kept clean.· The main grounds appeared to be the danger which it might pose to the small Southern protestant minority by encouraging mixed marriages.· Any doctrine of collegiality at all was bitterly resisted by a small minority.· Small wonder that, by the time of the Boer War, the pacifists felt like a small and beleaguered minority.· We are concerned about the small but persistent minority, particularly of young people, who re-offend while already on bail.· Chapter 5 clearly demonstrates that demand for sport is heterogeneous, with many sports involving only a small minority of the population.
· A substantial minority, however, do not.· While some thought that they did a good job, a substantial minority felt that they were a waste of time.· Such a majority is likely, under the simple primary voting system, even on a substantial minority of primary votes.· A substantial minority of shareholders is known to be opposed to a sale, feeling the company is worth at least £200 million.· A substantial minority of Britain's population aged 65 + has never married.· On the other hand, a substantial minority considered that infrastructural investment was a significant factor for location within an enterprise zone.· In Chapter 8, issues arising from the presence in this country of substantial ethnic minorities will be discussed.· A SUBSTANTIAL silent minority still holds the key to who wins the marginal seat of Darlington, according to a new poll.
· Two immediate sets of questions present themselves about this tiny, unhappy minority of women who are imprisoned.· And how hard it is to train even this tiny minority!· The $ 100, 000-plus cost of a Harvard or Yale undergraduate degree affects only a tiny minority.· But it is only a tiny minority that is likely to move.· For the sake of a tiny minority of possible abusers, the cyclist is being unreasonably inconvenienced.· But, surprisingly, when individuals were asked whether they felt this about themselves only tiny minorities admitted to such a feeling.· He was told only a tiny minority of extremists would object.· In a tiny minority of cases mistakes have been made.
· It was necessary to acknowledge that the white minority had real fears about what would happen to them.· Both Muzorewa and the white minority had to undergo severe pressure.· The desire to recover it drove many black peasants to support the nationalist guerrillas in the war against white minority rule.· At independence in 1980, the country was suffering from the limited coverage of the education system under the white minority regime.· The white minority political domination has gone.· The Zulu leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi is black but tolerant of the white minority.· But, you know, the logic of the Alliance was first and foremost the struggle against white minority rule-apartheid.
NOUN· Individual citizens and minority communities themselves need protection against the power of the state and against discrimination and unfair treatment.· The minority community is by no means united behind census changes.· Such support is particularly critical to the minority communities.
· In spite of only a short period of minority government the Labour Party in the 1920s had also developed some ambitious long-term policies.· The following day Labor formed a minority government under Michael Field.· Following the inconclusive election in February 1974, Harold Wilson formed a minority government dependent on Liberal support.· After the election the Yukon Party began negotiations with a view to forming a minority government in the territory.· Such a result would almost certainly put Mr Kinnock in Downing Street at the head of a minority government.
· It will Bteach real estate agents about the customs of minority groups.· Then pick another minority group and do the same exercise again.· Conditions for many minority groups have worsened.· The proprietors have no desire to discriminate against any-one and in fact have several members of minority groups on their payroll.· A family systems approach to work with minority groups must take account of all these factors.· The factors have placed you in a minority group from which you can not possibly escape.· Hacker believes that the position of women in society is analogous to that of minority groups such as immigrants and Blacks.· This is particularly true when companies recruit young women and members of minority groups into nontraditional fields.
· In all other cases they should be reported as minority interests. 44.· If the subsidiary is less than 100 percent owned, a minority interest is shown.· It is her treatment of the topic, she contends, that is bound to make her a minority interest.· The minority interest represents subsidiary ownership held by stockholders other than the parent.· The minority interest charge in the consolidated profit and loss account was £184,000.· Time retains a minority interest in Omnimedia and will continue to distribute the magazine, which it had published since 1991.· The consolidated balance sheet showed minority interests of £762,000 as at 30 November 1991 and £1,328,500 as at 30 November 1992.· The project was to be administered by a joint private- and public-sector company in which the government had a minority interest.
· Publicity material will be made available in minority languages, in Braille and on tape.· The Helpline will also give you details of the telephone advice services available in various ethnic minority languages.· In Britain today there are over one hundred minority languages in everyday use.
· Without the agreement of minority leaders, any new constitution will not be democratic.· Many minority leaders as well as public officials in Phoenix give neighborhood development in minority neighborhoods priority over neighborhood integration.
· There are also 1,000-plus potential votes up for grabs due to the absence of the minority parties who fought the byelection.· For eight years, he toiled in the House minority party.· The presence of minority parties would also engender a diversity of opinions and ethnic backgrounds.· At any rate, with spending caps plus the elimination of big donations, the minority parties had more of a chance.· The administration's minority party has put off a decision whether to withdraw support for Prime Minister Albert Reynolds.
· The minority population is concentrated in a few regions or states.· Of the ethnic minority population, 10.8 percent had been the victims of assault as opposed to 5.5 percent of whites.· This same question, however, remains vexatious today for the many school districts with large minority populations.· Nevertheless, this can be a difficult environment for black players, because the minority population is quite small.
· The conference adopted the minority report and family allowances were not discussed formally at an annual conference again until 1941.· That approach was endorsed in a minority report but defeated by the General Assembly, 323 to 226.· An influential minority report by Derek Senior advocated a map involving solely two-tier regional authorities, 35 in number.· There was both a majority and a minority report, and the latter provided a well argued critique of the system.· A minority report signed by several distinguished social scientists argued that there was.· The minority report recommended that the social services should be developed first and accorded less priority to family allowances.
· The provision would be reversed when profits attributable to the minority shareholders started to make good the losses that were made earlier.· Among the most debated changes is one that would affect minority shareholder rights when a company is acquired.· Disapplication requires a special resolution, ie a 75% majority, which the minority shareholder referred to could not block.· A part disposal is occurring here - the effect is to increase the stake of the minority shareholders from 20% to 45%.· A purchaser of shares may need to resort to petitioning the court to buy out minority shareholders.· The matter was thrown into further confusion, however, when leave to appeal was granted to the minority shareholders.· He claimed that Electronics' actions in withholding money due to Magnetics were prejudicial to the minority shareholders.· As part of the rescue operation it left control of the banks with the minority shareholders.
· It is unlikely, however, that any Western company will get more than a minority stake in Pilsner Urquell.· Jaguar plunged 46p to 685p as General Motors confirmed it is in talks that could result in it taking a minority stake.· The disposal of a minority stake would raise about £17 million.· A strategic alliance may take the form of an outright acquisition, minority stake, joint venture or brand franchise.· Assuming that shares are purchased, whether to acquire full control, majority holding or a minority stake?
· A drive to attract more ethnic minority students to Longlands College, Middlesbrough, is showing good results.· Among minority students the figures were, predictably, much lower.· Most central city schools serve primarily poor, working class and minority students.· He saw it in the low number of minority students enrolled in honors classes.· Too often minority students themselves are blamed for their failure.· S.-born and minority students to consider careers in science and technology.· Maybe a minority student has not had the same opportunities.· Gross desperately pointed to the work of a lifetime to show that he was scarcely unsympathetic to the plight of minority students.
VERB· The subject class is made up of the majority of the population whereas the ruling or dominant class forms a minority.· After the election the Yukon Party began negotiations with a view to forming a minority government in the territory.· Following the inconclusive election in February 1974, Harold Wilson formed a minority government dependent on Liberal support.
· Former finance minister Boris Fyodorov, who represents minority investors, was reelected to the board.· Parties representing ethnic minorities sat in parliament.· Yet they represent the biggest minority group in Hong Kong.· So the gunmen operating in the hills above Tetovo represent a minority.· However, the very elderly still only represent a minority, approximately 1 percent of the total population.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► be in a minority of one
1[singular] a small group of people or things within a much larger group OPP majority: - In the boardrooms of most big corporations, women are in the minority.
- Quentin's supporters were clearly in a minority as the City Council heard arguments for his dismissal.
- Minority returns-to areas where they will be in a minority-are more problematic.
- As with the children as a whole, the teachers at each end of the spectrum are in the minority.
- But as they processed into the Quire of the royal chapel in June 1988 the ancient families were in a minority.
- I was in the minority in finding him a bit tedious.
- It is plain, then, why men are in the minority.
- Prepare to be in the minority.
- Steamships were in a minority until about 1890 and in any case tended to take the shorter voyages.
- The critics are in the minority.
Gaelic is still spoken in Ireland by a minority.minority of Only a minority of people supported these new laws.small/tiny/substantial/significant minority Gay men are a small but significant minority.minority report (=a report by a minority of a group who do not agree with the others)GRAMMAR: Singular or plural verb?• In this meaning, minority is usually followed by a singular verb: · A small minority refuses to cooperate.• In British English, you can also use a plural verb: · A small minority refuse to cooperate.Grammar guide ‒ NOUNS2[countable usually plural] a)a group of people of a different race, religion etc from most other people in that country: People from ethnic minorities often face prejudice. the very large Russian minorities in Ukraine and Moldova children from minority groups the teaching of minority languages in schoolsminority leader/businessman/student etc American English a school with a high proportion of minority students b)American English someone who belongs to a group like this: Businesses are under pressure to hire minorities and women.3be in the/a minority to form less than half of a group: Boys are very much in the minority at the dance class.4be in a minority of one to be the only person in a group who has a particular opinion5[uncountable] law the period of time when someone is below the age at which they become legally responsible for their actionsCOLLOCATIONSadjectivesa small minority· She is one of a small minority of women working in engineering.a tiny minority· Only a tiny minority of the population actually commit crimes.a large minority· A large minority of women feel happier when their husbands leave them.a substantial/sizeable minority (=a large minority)· A sizeable minority of people sleep less than five hours a night without problems.a significant minority (=a large and fairly important minority)· A significant minority of older people have difficulty in caring for themselves.verbsbe in a minority· Male students are in a minority in this class.represent a minority· Old people still only represent a minority of the population.form a minority (also constitute a minority formal)· This type of cell forms a minority of the cells in the nervous system.affect a minority· The side effects only affect a minority of people who take the drug.minority + NOUNa minority group· It’s ridiculous to refer to women as a minority group.a minority interest· Jazz is a minority interest, but it is still an important part of musical studies.a minority opinion/view· This is a minority view among scientists.a minority stake (=a number of shares in a company, equalling less than half the total number)· IBM has bought a minority stake in the computer company.a minority shareholder (=someone who owns less than half the shares in a company)· A minority shareholder with 10% of voting rights refused to accept the plan.