mayoría
/maʝoˈɾia/feminine
The English word 'majority' is translated into Spanish as mayoría.
mayoría is a noun used to describe a situation where more than half of a group or amount is present.
Meaning: more than half (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word mayoría is derived from the adjective mayor (meaning greater or older) and literally refers to the 'greater part'.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you use the phrase la mayoría de to mean 'the majority of', the verb following it can be either singular or plural. For example, in the phrase la mayoría de los estudiantes son, the verb son is plural to agree with the noun estudiantes, which is a common usage. However, la mayoría de los estudiantes es is also grammatically correct, as the verb es agrees with the singular noun mayoría.
How do you pronounce it?
/maʝoˈɾia/
Did you know?
- While mayoría means 'majority', the phrase mayoría de edad refers to the legal age of adulthood. Reaching this point is called alcanzar la mayoría.
- In Spanish, the word mayor used in mayoría is also the standard way to say someone is 'older'. If a sibling is the 'greater' one in age, they are the hermano mayor.
- The suffix '-ía' in mayoría is a common way in Spanish to transform an adjective into an abstract noun, much like the English suffix '-ity'.
Examples in context
- La mayoría nunca se equivoca.The majority is never wrong.This sentence uses mayoría to show a general truth about a majority.Tatoeba #8339432 by arh, translation #8401827 by helloroto
- Él ganó la elección por una gran mayoría.He won the election by a large majority.This sentence uses mayoría to describe a margin of victory in an election.Tatoeba #1698964 by marcelostockle, translation #300704 by CK
- Las virtudes son los vicios de la mayoría.Virtues are the vices of the majority.This sentence uses mayoría to discuss the traits of a majority.Tatoeba #1698933 by marcelostockle, translation #3764957 by cromwellt
- 45 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and María are discussing a group vote at work.
- JavierLa mayoría votó a favor del cambio.The majority voted in favor of the change.
- María¿De verdad la mayoría está de acuerdo?Is the majority really in agreement?
- JavierSí, la mayoría de los empleados quiere el cambio.Yes, the majority of employees want the change.
- MaríaEntonces parece una buena decisión.Then it seems like a good decision.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “majority” translations and entries mayoría, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
