SINCE 1828
majoritarianism
noun
ma·jor·i·tar·i·an·ism
| \ mə-ˌjȯr-ə-ˈter-ē-ə-ˌni-zəm
, -ˌjär-\
, -ˌjär-\
Definition of majoritarianism
: the philosophy or practice according to which decisions of an organized group should be made by a numerical majority of its members
Examples of majoritarianism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
By democracy, the pundits really mean majoritarianism, and our system has all sorts of counter-majoritarian rules built in, the Electoral College and the Senate being the most salient examples. — Kyle Smith, National Review, "Our Democracy Is Not in Crisis," 23 July 2019 The system’s mix of proportional representation and majoritarianism has given an overwhelming majority to Georgian Dream, which received 49 percent of the popular vote but 77 percent of parliament seats in the last election. — Alexander Sikorski, National Review, "Georgians Continue to Defy Putin, and the West Must Stand with Them," 28 June 2019 But one which will only develop if progressive leaders are able to move beyond excessive fear of populism and learn to speak the language of popular majoritarianism and democratic self-rule. — Matthew Yglesias, Vox, "The latest Obamacare ruling is part of a larger conservative attack on democracy," 15 Dec. 2018 And the widespread rioting in France shows the dangers of allowing a healthy dose of democracy to transmogrify into a brutal majoritarianism. — Joseph C. Sternberg, WSJ, "Macron’s Warning to America’s Ascendant Left," 6 Dec. 2018 Most of the appeal of Trump was white majoritarianism and cultural grievances. — Jon Talton, The Seattle Times, "‘It’s the economy, stupid,’ and the bad luck of George H.W. Bush," 4 Dec. 2018 For example, one study indicated that his voters were driven by a desire to preserve white majoritarianism in a fast-changing country. — Jon Talton, The Seattle Times, "In America’s ‘geography of despair,’ how to help the left-behind places?," 21 Nov. 2018 American democracy, as in the Electoral College, accommodates considerations more complex than simpleminded majoritarianism. — George Will, chicagotribune.com, "The president who knew too little about the Electoral College," 3 May 2018 The framers of the Constitution, of course, deliberately constructed a government that would check raw majoritarianism. — Walter Dellinger, Slate Magazine, "Supreme Court Breakfast Table," 21 June 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'majoritarianism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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