mi‧nor‧i‧ty S3 W2 AC / maɪnɒrəti, maɪnɒrɪti $ mənɔ-, mənɑ- / 名词 ( 复数形式 minorities )

1 [ singular also + 复数形式 动词 ] a small group of people or things within a much larger group 反义词 majority :

Gaelic is still spoken in Ireland by a tiny minority.

minority of

Only a minority of people support 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 )

2 [可数名词，通常复数]

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 schools

minority 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.

3 be in the/a minority to form less than half of a group :

Boys are very much in the minority at the dance class.

4 be in a minority of one to be the only person in a group who has a particular opinion

5 [不可数名词] law the period of time when someone is below the age at which they become legally responsible for their actions

COLLOCATIONS

形容词

a 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.

动词

be 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 + NOUN

a 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.