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

Taken as a whole, it's been an overwhelmingly good year for the president with this conservative court supermajority. — Tamara Keith, NPR, 1 July 2026

An activist wins one ordinary vote to strip out the supermajority rule, then a second ordinary vote to gut the mission. — Kyle Westaway, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

Any further changes would require a constitutional amendment, which requires a two-thirds supermajority of Congress or a national convention to propose the act and then ratification from three-fourths of the states. — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 30 June 2026

In Florida, Republicans hold all statewide offices and a supermajority in the state legislature, making anger toward Democrats for affordability problems a more complicated sell. — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 28 June 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