Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

tyranny of the majority

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.50 in modern English

Syllables: tyran-ny of the -ma-jor-i-ty
IPA

44

Scrabble Score

20

Letters

6

Syllables

12

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A situation in which a government or other authority democratically supported by a majority of its subjects makes policies or takes actions benefiting that majority, without regard for the rights or welfare of the rest of its subjects.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"I suppose, however, that the secret voting has afforded, and will afford, an important security against the tyranny of the majority, which I consider as the greatest evil and the most formidable danger that can attend a purely democratical government."
"A popular will not so limited becomes the tyranny of the majority which destroys the freedom of political competition."
"The biggest problem is the numerically larger group's use of elections and other legitimate democratic forms to ensure its dominance—a tyranny of the majority."

Usage

Inflected Forms

tyrannies of the majority (plural) tyrannies of majorities (plural)

Phrases

51 percent

Frequently Paired Words

51 percent

Synonyms

dictatorship of the majority tyranny of the masses

Questions

What does tyranny of the majority mean?: A situation in which a government or other authority democratically supported by a majority of its subjects makes policies or takes actions benefiting that majority, without regard for the rights or welfare of the rest of its subjects.

How to pronounce tyranny of the majority

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