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

Those attempts were quashed by the Democratic supermajority. —Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 4 June 2025

However, Trump won the state overall by 18 points, and on a local level, the Republicans have had a supermajority in the statehouse since 2022. —Martha McHardy Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025

Some expressed fears about the concentration of political power, with Mr. Lee’s party now holding the presidency and a supermajority in the National Assembly, South Korea’s parliament. —Ann Scott Tyson, Christian Science Monitor, 4 June 2025

Since 1992, county voters have rejected four separate ballot measures for additional library funding, which require a supermajority to pass. —Katie Lauer, Mercury News, 7 May 2025

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