What is another word for minority?
The word
minority is used in both general and more specific ways. Generally speaking, it refers to the smaller
portion of a total—the one that’s
less than half. In the context of voting, it means the same thing, and can refer to the amount of votes or to the group of voters. In the general context of groups of people,
minority is used in reference to the
nonmajority portion of the wider group. This is how the word is used in the phrase
in the minority,
I wanted to have the party after work, but I was in the minority. In
demographics,
minority usually refers to the smaller portion of a wider
population as divided by some characteristic, such as age or religion. Such a group might be called a
minority group. The word
minority has also commonly been used in more specific terms, like
racial minority or
ethnic minority. Indeed, in this context, use of the word
minority is especially associated with the concept of race and racial identity—particularly in places where people with darker skin colors constitute a smaller part of the population than those who are considered white. Historically, the word has been applied in the U.S. and other places to
people of color. However, this isn’t always accurate in terms of population percentage, and this use of the word is also often criticized for other reasons. See the next section for an explanation of why
minority is now often avoided in this context in favor of other terms.
What is a better word for minority?
In the context of racial and ethnic identity, it is now widely recommended that the word
minority (and phrases that include it) should be avoided and replaced with more accurate and precise terms. This is based on a number of factors. First, the term is often inaccurate as far as population percentage. In addition, many argue that referring to such groups collectively as
minorities functions to reduce their identity to this status. In this way, the implications of the word can reinforce power imbalances that are consequences of systemic
racism—not simply of one group being
outnumbered by another. The word
minority is often used in a way that’s meant to imply a status not only as the smaller group in a population, but also as a group that is and has been oppressed, discriminated against, and
marginalized by the majority group, especially on a systemic (structural) level. (The related verb
minoritize means to make a person or group subordinate in status to a more dominant group or its members.) Terms that are sometimes recommended as more appropriate include some that are used to emphasize such circumstances, such as
marginalized group (which suggests a lack of a power balance with the dominant group) and
underrepresented group (which suggests a lack of representation in a certain context, such as a workforce). However, there is often disagreement about whether such terms are appropriate or accurate. For example, inherently negative words like
marginalized and
underrepresented are sometimes seen as limiting and stigmatizing in the same way that the word
minority is often seen to be. On the other hand, some believe it’s important to highlight such circumstances, especially in discussions of how to change them. Usually, the best way to refer to a particular group when one of the identifying characteristics of its members is relevant is to be as specific and straightforward as possible. For example,
people of color may be the appropriate term in some contexts, but not others, particularly when something more specific is meant, such as
Black women.
What is the opposite (antonym) of minority?
In all contexts, the word
minority is often used in contrast with
majority (the greater portion—the part that constitutes
more than half). In the context of groups of people, the word
majority is also used, but the
minority group is sometimes contrasted with the
dominant group or the
privileged group.
