plurality

CEFRC1

/plʊˈɹæləti/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

Examples

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Deep Dive

Extra meanings

The holding of multiple benefices.
The state of being plural.
A number or part of a whole which is greater than any other number or part, but not necessarily a majority.

In context

There is a plurality of opinions on this complex issue.
A plurality of ideas were put forth at the meeting, most of which were rejected out of hand.
The array is organized into a plurality of vertical (column) blocks.

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The word in print, with each source given in full.

Nominal plurality in Basque is originally exclusively marked on definite determiners and not on nouns.
2025, Cid Swanenvleugel, The Pre-Roman Elements of the Sardinian Lexicon, page 333
It was the complaint and lamentation of Prelats, upon every least breath of a motion to remove pluralities, and distribute more equally Church revennu's, that then all learning would be for ever dasht and discourag'd.
1644, John Milton, Areopagitica
“America will soon belong to the men and women … who can comfortably walk into a room and accept with real comfort the sensation that … there are no real majorities, only pluralities and coalitions.
2012 November 9, Josh Levs, “The New America: What the election teaches us about ourselves”, in CNN, archived from the original on 06 Dec 2022
A plurality of respondents said Republicans were more to blame than Clinton in every single poll. Between 43% and 51% blamed Republicans and between 25% and 34% blamed Clinton, depending on the poll.
2019 January 11, Grace Sparks, “Who gets blamed for a government shutdown?”, in CNN, archived from the original on 22 Sep 2023
It could also radicalize American politics and lead to presidents who are elected with very small pluralities, or who failed to qualify for the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.”
2019 March 19, Zachary B. Wolf, “Why Democrats hate the Electoral College and Republicans love it”, in CNN, archived from the original on 11 Nov 2022

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From plural + -ity, from Middle English pluralite, from Old French pluralité (“multitude, state of being plural”), from Latin plūrālitās.