MAJORITY

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does majority mean? 

• MAJORITY (noun)
  The noun MAJORITY has 3 senses:

1. the property resulting from being or relating to the greater in number of two parts; the main part

2. (elections) more than half of the votes

3. the age at which persons are considered competent to manage their own affairs

  Familiarity information: MAJORITY used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MAJORITY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The property resulting from being or relating to the greater in number of two parts; the main part

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

bulk; majority

Context example:

the bulk of the work is finished

Hypernyms ("majority" is a kind of...):

figure; number (the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals)

Attribute:

major (greater in number or size or amount)

Antonym:

minority (being or relating to the smaller in number of two parts)

Derivation:

major (greater in number or size or amount)

Sense 2

Meaning:

(elections) more than half of the votes

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

absolute majority; majority

Hypernyms ("majority" is a kind of...):

relative quantity (a quantity relative to some purpose)

Domain category:

election (a vote to select the winner of a position or political office)

Derivation:

major (greater in number or size or amount)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The age at which persons are considered competent to manage their own affairs

Classified under:

Nouns denoting time and temporal relations

Synonyms:

legal age; majority

Hypernyms ("majority" is a kind of...):

age; eld (a time of life (usually defined in years) at which some particular qualification or power arises)

Holonyms ("majority" is a part of...):

adulthood; maturity (the period of time in your life after your physical growth has stopped and you are fully developed)

Antonym:

minority (any age prior to the legal age)

Derivation:

major (of full legal age)

 Context examples 

The vast majority of cases are malignant lymphoproliferations affecting the midline of the face in patients with nasal type extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma.

(Nasal Cavity and Paranasal Sinus Lethal Midline Granuloma, NCI Thesaurus)

The majority of cases result from deletions on the long arm of chromosome 15.

(Angelman Syndrome, NCI Thesaurus)

The Fab fragment of the 9.2.27 monoclonal antibody. 9.2.27 monoclonal antibody recognizes the high-molecular-weight melanoma-associated antigen (HMW-MAA), an antigen expressed on a majority of melanomas.

(Monoclonal Antibody 9.2.27 F(ab), NCI Thesaurus)

Majority of patients present with advanced disease.

(Anaplastic large cell lymphoma, NCI Thesaurus/WHO)

For the majority of cases of Parkinson’s disease, a cause remains unknown.

(Too much protein may kill brain cells as Parkinson’s progresses, NINDS)

The majority of cases are well differentiated adenocarcinomas with mucinous stroma formation.

(Appendix Adenocarcinoma, NCI Thesaurus)

The vast majority of the cases are adenocarcinomas.

(Appendix Carcinoma, NCI Thesaurus)

The vast majority of cases are intraosseous and most often grow in the maxilla.

(Adenomatoid Odontogenic Tumor, NCI Thesaurus)

Greatest in amount, extent, or degree; constituting a majority.

(Most, NCI Thesaurus)

The vast majority of cases are adenocarcinomas.

(Ampulla of Vater Carcinoma, NCI Thesaurus)