In everyday language, a minority is a smaller part of a larger group. If your class votes on whether to have a pizza party or an ice cream party, and 8 students vote for pizza while 22 vote for ice cream, the pizza voters are the minority.

In social and political contexts, minority often refers to a group of people who share certain characteristics (like ethnicity, religion, or language) and make up a smaller portion of a population. For example, Spanish speakers form a minority in the United States, while English speakers form the majority. In some countries, certain religious groups are minorities.

The word matters because in democracies, decisions often follow what the majority wants, but fair societies also work to protect the rights and voices of minorities. A school might let the majority choose the field trip destination, but good leaders make sure minority opinions are heard and that everyone feels respected and included, regardless of which group they're in.

When used as an adjective, minority describes something related to a smaller group: a minority opinion is one held by fewer people, and a minority stake in a company means owning less than half.