superminority

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   A voting block which, although it has less than 50% of the vote, has sufficient numbers…

   A voting block which, although it has less than 50% of the vote, has sufficient numbers to prevent any other group from forming a supermajority.

   • Under this approach, a superminority of 34 Senators could prevent a sole executive agreement from enjoying the full force of the supremacy clause vis-a-vis state laws.
   • When the votes were counted, the superminority resolution revoking the pledge took 37 percent, but backers of the pledge also failed to win a majority, so the UAW found itself with no formal position on the crucial issue.
2. 2

   A minority group that wields disproportionate power.

   • State governors clamor for state control. They fear local control could generate a hodge—podge of conflicting rules and that a state's solid waste policy could be dictated by a "superminority" of activists in a given county.
   • Perhaps because of that, the Russian superminority became singled out as a target of nationalist attack.
3. 3

   An ethnic minority group that is seen as having outstanding abilities.

   • Although the idea that they are a superminority is a new one, the increase in Asian- American activism is the result of years of discrimination.
4. ›+ 4 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      A member of a minority group who has extraordinary abilities, often one who is identified…

      A member of a minority group who has extraordinary abilities, often one who is identified as a leader and representative of the entire ethnic group.

      • A white middle-level manager from a large bank aptly sums up the present situation in the corporate world regarding qualifications: "Most minority executives are superminorities — mediocrity is the privilege of the white male.
   2. 5

      A large minority group that comprises a significant percentage of the population or most…

      A large minority group that comprises a significant percentage of the population or most of the minority population.

      • Sheer numbers are changing that, but despite Spanish surnames popping up everywhere, this usually gentle and hardworking superminority hasn't yet learned that the wheel that squeaks loudest gets the grease.
      • If the aforementioned bills fail to pass this year, these states will be left in a superminority of states in this country, which do not recognize the extreme problem of dating domestic abuse.
   3. 6

      Multiple minority groups, seen as a single coalition or group.

      • There is the assumption, underlying this problem with minorities, that all minorities will get together and form some form of superminority constituency—otherwise they wouldn't be all that effective— and I don't see any validity to that.
      • Under the multicultural dispensation, Hispanics get to be considered “nonwhite”, as members of that global, monolithic “superminority” defined only by its opposition to the European ascendancy.
      • The fragility of the superminority government was offset somewhat by the popularity of the President, Traian Basescu (2004–), a former mayor of Bucharest.
   4. 7

      A person who is a member of multiple minority groups.

      • This concept is legally established by federal court decisions that have decreed that black women can represent blacks, but may not represent women as a group or be considered a "superminority" in a class action.

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