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

Dion said Miller and his movement were part of the conservative coalition and were instrumental in helping the Republicans achieve a supermajority in both chambers of the Indiana General Assembly. —Alexandria Burris, IndyStar, 12 Nov. 2025

As one of the three liberal justices, Sotomayor is the leading voice on the Supreme Court’s liberal wing and is known for writing defiant dissents that counter and challenge the court’s 6-3 conservative supermajority. —Sandra Guzman, USA Today, 12 Nov. 2025

Climate advocates are planning new efforts to make use of this supermajority. —John D. Sutter, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025

If Johnston had vetoed any of the amendments, the council would have had an opportunity Monday to consider overriding any of those vetoes, but would have needed a supermajority to do so. —Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 7 Nov. 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