supermajority

noun

su·​per·​ma·​jor·​i·​ty ˈsü-pər-mə-ˌjȯr-ə-tē 

-ˌjär-

plural supermajorities

: a majority (such as two-thirds or three-fifths) that is greater than a simple majority

treaty ratification requires a supermajority

Furthermore, it is about even money that soon after Congress convenes in January it will … approve a constitutional amendment to require supermajorities (three-fifths) in both houses of Congress to approve deficit spending.

—George F. Will

The company, for instance, has a supermajority clause in its articles of incorporation; 80% of the shareholders must approve any sale or merger.

—Joshua Hyatt

Examples of supermajority in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Democrats see the district, which includes Lee’s Summit and Blue Springs, as a potential path to breaking the Republican supermajority in the state Senate. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2026

Villegas would need support from a two-thirds supermajority of aldermen to overcome a Johnson veto. — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026

The United Russia party, which currently has 310 seats, will need to win at least 300 seats to maintain its supermajority and deliver constitutional changes without having to rely on support from other parties. — Sam Meredith,anniek Bao, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026

However, Democrats would likely try to block any such legislation in the Senate, where a supermajority of 60 votes is needed to advance most legislation. — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for supermajority

• exteriority
• inferiority
• superiority
• authority
• majority
• minority
• priority
• seniority
• sonority
• sorority

Legal Definition

supermajority

noun

su·​per·​ma·​jor·​i·​ty ˈsü-pər-mə-ˌjȯr-ə-tē 

: a large majority

a provision requiring a supermajority vote — say, 80 % of the common shares instead of the usual bare majority rule

—R. C. Clark