plurality

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plurality

/plʊˈɹæləti/
/plʊˈɹælɪti/

Rhymes with -ælɪti

Where it comes from

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

noun pluralities

uncountable The state of being plural. Nominal plurality in Basque is originally exclusively marked on definite determiners and not on nouns.
countable, uncountable The holding of multiple benefices. 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.
Similar: pluralism
countable A state of being numerous.
Similar: multiplicity
countable A number or part of a whole which is greater than any other number or part, but not necessarily a majority. “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.
countable A number of votes for a single candidate or position which is greater than the number of votes gained by any other single candidate or position voted for, but which is less than a majority of valid votes cast. To repeal the tax (Question I), a 50 per cent majority vote is required. To keep the tax in its 1976 form (Question III), only a plurality of votes is required.
Similar: relative majority
countable A margin by which a number exceeds another number, especially of votes. Truman's total vote was 24,104,836. Dewey received 21,969,500;[…]. Truman won by a plurality of 2,135,336, but it was the first time since 1916 that a winner has failed to capture a majority of all votes cast.
countable A group of many entities: a large number. A plurality of ideas were put forth at the meeting, most of which were rejected out of hand.
countable A group composed of more than one entity. The array is organized into a plurality of vertical (column) blocks.
countable, uncountable, of spouses Polygamy.
countable, uncountable Synonym of multiplicity (“the condition whereby a person displays or experiences multiple distinct personalities or selves in one body”). In this paper I argue that hearing voices experiences and plurality are part of a broad, rich, and complex spectrum of human experience, […]
Similar: multiplicity

Opposite: singularity

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: relative majority, plural, multitude, multiple, diverse, diversification, variety, inclusiveness, number, multilingualism, diversity, multiplicity, composition, pluralistic, pluralism, mingling

noun

Opposite: singularity

Translations

Every language

noun the state of being plural

Español	pluralidad
Português	pluralidade
Français	pluralité
Deutsch	Pluralität
Italiano	pluralità
Ελληνικά	πολλαπλότητα pollaplótita
Română	pluralitate
Русский	мно́жественность mnóžestvennostʹ

noun most votes in election, but less than 50%

עברית	רוב יַחֲסִי rov yahasi

noun group composed of more than one entity

Русский	мно́жество mnóžestvo

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MLA

"plurality." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/plurality. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

plurality. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/plurality

Chicago

"plurality." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/plurality.

BibTeX

@misc{plurality_2026,
  title = {plurality},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/plurality},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}