silent majorityn.
/ˌsʌɪlənt məˈdʒɒrᵻti/, /ˌsʌɪln̩t məˈdʒɒrᵻti/, U.S. /ˌsaɪlən(t) məˈdʒɔrədi/ 1. Those members of a legislative or deliberative assembly who vote on a motion, bill, etc., but do not speak during the debate.In earliest use referring to a group that wins a majority in a vote without speaking in the related debate; in later use (influenced by sense 2) usually referring to the fact that assembly members who do not speak in a debate outnumber those who do.
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1786 J. Andrews Hist. War with Amer. III. xxxii. 39 Neither the speech nor the motion produced any reply..and the motion [was] rejected by a silent majority of two hundred and fifty-nine.
1879 N.Y. Times 10 Apr. 6/4 There are nearly three hundred members of the House of Representatives. About twenty of these do all the talking... The rest of the members do the voting... This state of things has become insupportable to the silent majority.
1906 Living Age 8 Dec. 596/2 The votes of Members who joined in the debates..might be guessed,..but the votes of the silent majority were an absolute secret.
2009 J. M. Bennett Sir A. Stephen xii. 226 The most interesting speech was that of Parkes..[who said] he would vote against the rescission... The silent majority in the House disagreed.
2. The mass of people whose views remain unexpressed, esp. in political contexts; those who are usually overlooked because of their moderation. Opposed to vocal minority.Now the usual sense.
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society > society and the community > [noun] > a division of human society > silent majority
silent majority1815
society > society and the community > social class > the common people > low rank or condition > other people of low rank or condition > [noun] > whose political views remain unexpressed
silent majority1815
1815 Reasons for establishing Registry of Slaves in Brit. Colonies (Afr. Inst.) 81 The legislature is bound to consider whether the silent majority have really an interest in the adoption of the measure opposed.
1955 C. V. Wedgwood Great Rebellion I. ii. iv. 256 The King in his natural optimism still believed that a silent majority in Scotland were in his favour.
1969 R. M. Nixon Addr. to Nation on War in Vietnam 3 Nov. (transcribed from video) And so tonight, to you, the great, silent majority of my fellow Americans, I ask for your support.
2012 Economist 25 Feb. 32/1 The solution, the government believes, lies in localism, and giving the silent majority control of police priorities.
3. The dead.Cf. majority n.1 3c, to join the (great or silent) majority at join v.1 15b.
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the world > life > death > dead person or the dead > [noun]
the holy soulsc950
the deadc1000
dead1340
deadmana1400
the defunct1548
sleeper1590
gone?1614
grave-fellow1642
under-dead1648
the deceased1673
the majority1721
the departed1722
the dear departed1814
sleeper1827
goner1836
gone coon1837
silent majority1874
1874 Harper's Mag. Sept. 468 (heading) The silent majority [469/2 The living bear but an infinitesimal proportion to tho dead].
1895 Clay Rec. 16 Dec. 30/2 My good old Quaker mother, who has gone before and joined the silent majority, often said to me, ‘My son, thee cannot stand still in this world.’
1910 N.Z. Parl. Deb. 151 124/2 By the next session a number of the veterans now living would have passed over to the silent majority.
2016 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 11 Sept. (Men's Fashion Mag.) 107 In the next segment, he joined the silent majority right there on the stage. He had made a snoring sound, and suddenly slid down in his chair.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2020; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1786