mi·nor·i·ty /maɪˈnɒrəti $ məˈnɔː-, məˈnɑː-/ ●●● S3 W2 AWL noun (plural minorities) 1 [singular]FEW/NOT MANY a small group of people or things within a much larger group 少数派,少数 OPP majority Gaelic is still spoken in Ireland by a minority. 爱尔兰仍有极少数人在说盖尔语。
minority of Only a minority of people supported these new laws. 只有少数人支持这些新法令。
small/tiny/substantial/significant minority Gay men are a small but significant minority. 同性恋男子只占少数但却不容忽视。
minority report (=a report by a minority of a group who do not agree with the others) 少数派报告
n 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.
2 [countableC usually plural] a) SSRa group of people of a different race, religion etc from most other people in that country 少数民族;少数派;少数群体 People from ethnic minorities often face prejudice. 少数民族时常要面对偏见。
the very large Russian minorities in Ukraine and Moldova 在乌克兰和摩尔多瓦的大量俄罗斯少数民族居民
children from minority groups 少数族裔的儿童
the teaching of minority languages in schools 学校里少数民族语言的教学
minority leader/businessman/student etc American EnglishAmE a school with a high proportion of minority students 少数民族学生占很高比例的学校
b) American EnglishAmESSR someone who belongs to a group like this 少数民族成员;少数派成员 Businesses are under pressure to hire minorities and women. 企业迫于压力要雇用少数民族和女性。
3 be in the/a minority LESSto form less than half of a group 占少数 Boys are very much in the minority at the dance class. 舞蹈班上男生很少。
5. [uncountableU] lawSSC the period of time when someone is below the age at which they become legally responsible for their actions 未成年期 n COLLOCATIONSadjectivesa small minorityShe is one of a small minority of women working in engineering.
a tiny minorityOnly a tiny minority of the population actually commit crimes.
a large minorityA 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 minorityMale students are in a minority in this class.
represent a minorityOld 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 minorityThe side effects only affect a minority of people who take the drug.
minority + NOUNa minority groupIt’s ridiculous to refer to women as a minority group.
a minority interestJazz is a minority interest, but it is still an important part of musical studies.
a minority opinion/viewThis 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.