majoritarian

English

Etymology

From majority +‎ -arian.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /məˈd͡ʒɒɹ.ɪ.tɛə.ɹi.ən/, /məˈd͡ʒɒɹ.ɪ.tə.ɹi.ən/

  • Audio (UK):

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /məˈd͡ʒɑ.ɹɪ.tɛɹ.i.ən/, /məˈd͡ʒɔɹ.ɪ.tɛɹ.i.ən/, /məˈd͡ʒɔɹ.ɪ.tə.ɹiən/

Adjective

majoritarian (comparative more majoritarian, superlative most majoritarian)

1. Supporting the dominance of the majority over the minority. [from 1918]
   • [1918], John Buchan, “Germany Reshuffles Her Cards”, in Nelson’s History of the War, volume XX (The Summer Campaigns of 1917), London, Edinburgh, New York, N.Y.: Thomas Nelson and Sons, Ltd., →OCLC, page 118:

     Early in June came the delegation of the German Majority Socialists, which included—besides [Philipp] Scheidemann, the Majoritarian leader—that Hermann Müller who, on the eve of the declaration of war, had invited the French Socialists to vote against war credits.

   • 1918 September 22, André Géraud, “Paul Cambon. 20 Years Ambassador in London. His Work for France. The Evolution of the Entente.”, in The Observer, 127th year, number 6,644, London, page 3, column 3:

     He [Paul Cambon] knows how to use to the best advantage of everybody concerned a secretary of Embassy, an officer, a bishop, or a “Majoritarian” Socialist.

   • 1919 May 18, “Pope and Peace. Why The War Lasted So Long. His Holiness and a Secret Treaty. The Efforts of the Russian Majoritarians, and Why They Were Frustrated. Archbishop Mannix on the Secret Treaty, and Colonel Raymond Robins on the Majoritarians.”, in Truth, number 1,003, Brisbane, Qld., page 10, column 1:

     A better peace and one no more likely to be broken by another war than the one that the Conference is supposed to be trying to arrange could have been got long ago, if it had suited the Allied statesmen to permit the mediation of the Pope, or, later, to work for peace with the Majoritarian Government of Russia.

   • 2007 July 26, Cathal J[oseph] Nolan, “Shaping the Court for Political Ends (8 Letters)”, in The New York Times‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, published 2007 July 30, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2015-06-05:

     No. He proposes to employ majoritarian bullying to overturn the legal and constitutional balance of power for the vapid purpose of upholding “popular values,” whatever and whose ever those are.

Antonyms

• countermajoritarian, minoritarian

Derived terms

• antimajoritarian
• majoritarian democracy
• majoritarianism
• nonmajoritarian

 

Translations

supporting the dominance of the majority over the minority

• French: majoritaire (fr)
• Georgian: მაჟორიტარული (mažoriṭaruli)
• Kazakh: мажоритарлы (majoritarly), мажоритарлық (majoritarlyq)
• Mongolian: мажоритар (mažoritar)
• Russian: мажорита́рный (ru) m (mažoritárnyj)
• Ukrainian: мажорита́рний (mažorytárnyj)

Noun

majoritarian (plural majoritarians)

1. One who supports the dominance of the majority over the minority. [from 1918]
   • 1918 June 30, “[Our London Correspondence. (By Private Wire.)] Dissentient Trade Unionists.”, in The Manchester Guardian, 22,432, published 1918 June 1, page 4, column 3:

     It is difficult to use terms which are accurate without being too definite, but to borrow the terminology of the French Socialists one may say that now on the National Executive of the Labour party majoritarians and minoritarians are about equally balanced, and in the Labour party Conference the minoritarians seem to be getting the majority.

   • 1919 February 25, Frederick Moore, quoting Frank Bohn, “[Eisner, a Great Loss: Frank Bohn, American Democratic Socialist, Pays High Tribute to the Bavarian Leader.] Knew How to Proceed”, in New York Tribune, volume LXXVIII, number 26,399, New York, N.Y.: New York Tribune Inc., page 10, column 6:

     The French majoritarians and the British laborites, who, together dominated the conference, demanded peace with the German majoritarians.

   • 1919 May 18, “Pope and Peace. Why The War Lasted So Long. His Holiness and a Secret Treaty. The Efforts of the Russian Majoritarians, and Why They Were Frustrated. Archbishop Mannix on the Secret Treaty, and Colonel Raymond Robins on the Majoritarians.”, in Truth, number 1,003, Brisbane, Qld., page 10, columns 1–2:

     THE EFFORTS OF THE RUSSIAN MAJORITARIANS, AND WHY THEY WERE FRUSTRATED. Archbishop Mannix on the Secret Treaty, and Colonel Raymond Robins on the Majoritarians.

Antonyms

• countermajoritarian, minoritarian

Translations

one who supports the dominance of the majority over the minority

• Russian: мажорита́рий (ru) m (mažoritárij)