Majority vs Many - What's the difference?
majority | many |
More than half (50%) of some group
* {{quote-book, year=1920, title=, author=Champ Clark
, passage=But in 1912 the American people gave the Democrats another opportunity, and under the leadership of Woodrow Wilson we swept the country from sea to sea. At the end of that historic contest we had the Presidency, the Senate by a working majority, and the House by an overwhelming majority.}}
The difference between the winning vote and the rest of the votes
(dated) Legal adulthood
(UK) The office held by a member of the armed forces in the rank of major
Ancestors; ancestry.
An indefinite large number of.
:
*Bible, (w) xvii.4:
*:Thou shalt be a father of many nations.
*
*:The big houses, and there are a good many of them, lie for the most part in what may be called by courtesy the valleys. You catch a glimpse of them sometimes at a little distance from the [railway] line, which seems to have shown some ingenuity in avoiding them,.
*{{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-06, volume=408, issue=8843, page=68, magazine=(The Economist)
, title= A collective mass of people.
An indefinite large number of people or things.
* {{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers)
, chapter=4, title= A multitude; a great aggregate; a mass of people; the generality; the common herd.
A considerable number.
As nouns the difference between majority and many
is that majority is more than half (50%) of some group while many is a multitude; a great aggregate; a mass of people; the generality; the common herd.As a determiner many is
an indefinite large number of.As a pronoun many is
a collective mass of people.majority
English
(wikipedia majority)Noun
(majorities)- The majority agreed that the new proposal was the best.
- Those opposing the building plans were in the majority , so the building project was canceled.
- The winner with 53% had a 6% majority over the loser with 47%.
- By the time I reached my majority , I had already been around the world twice.
- On receiving the news of his promotion, Charles Snodgrass said he was delighted to be entering his majority .
Usage notes
* Majority in the sense of "more than half" is used with countable nouns only; for example, "The majority of the members of the committee were in favour of the motion." It is incorrect to use with it uncountable nouns, as in "The majority of the world is covered with water." In the latter case, it is preferable to use expressions such as "the larger part of" or "most of" instead of the "the majority of",Antonyms
* (more than half) minorityDerived terms
* by a majority * dictatorship of the majority * double majority * majority leader * majority rule * silent majority * simple majority * supermajority * tyranny of the majoritySee also
* mostmany
English
(wikipedia many)Determiner
The rise of smart beta, passage=Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return.}}
Usage notes
Many'' is used with plural nouns only (except in the combination many a). Its singular counterpart is much, which is used with uncountable nouns. ''Many'' and ''much merge in the comparison forms, which are more and most for both determiners.Antonyms
* fewPronoun
(English Pronouns)A Cuckoo in the Nest, passage=By some paradoxical evolution rancour and intolerance have been established in the vanguard of primitive Christianity. Mrs. Spoker, in common with many of the stricter disciples of righteousness, was as inclement in demeanour as she was cadaverous in aspect.}}