Words / B1

my-NOR-uh-tee/maɪˈnɒrəti/

A minority is less than half, or a smaller social group: a minority of passengers; ethnic minorities; in a minority of cases. Majority is the opposite. Minority groups and minority languages appear in news and IELTS social topics. A tiny minority stresses how few. Do not use minority as a polite word for “wrong” — it is about number or group size, not about being incorrect.

Meaning

A small part of a group; also a group different from the larger population.

Examples

• “Only a minority of passengers had heard about the platform change.”
• “Only a minority of households still have no broadband.”
• “The report looked at pay gaps for minority ethnic staff.”

Good to know

a minority of + plural; ethnic minorities. Opposite: majority. Stress: a tiny minority. About size / group, not “incorrect”.

Near in meaning

few

New