plurality
/plʊəˈralɪti
/noun (plural pluralities)
1 [mass noun] The fact or state of being plural: some languages add an extra syllable to mark plurality...
- In keeping aloft ideals of plurality of thought, of economic and social justice and of dissent, teachers, teacher educators and the community must resist the ideological hijacking of our past, present and future.
- Egypt ditched the one-party system in the mid-1970s in favour of greater plurality and one result of this is the degree of freedom we now see in the independent press.
- A degree of plurality, with respect to both topics and points of view, is highly desirable.
1.1 [in singular] A large number of people or things: a plurality of critical approaches...
- The purpose behind this festival is to put into focus the plurality of approaches that contemporary classical dancers embody in their work.
- The cultural plurality and diversity can be seen in these areas.
- This plurality of approaches among contemporary artists mitigates against any singular characterisation.
Synonyms
wide variety, large number, lot, diversity, range;
multitude, multiplicity, galaxy, wealth, profusion, abundance, quantity, quantities, score, plethora, host
informal load, stack, heap, pile, mass, ton
British informal shedload
North American informal slew
Australian/New Zealand informal swag
2US The number of votes cast for a candidate who receives more than any other but does not receive an absolute majority.In Geneva County, Graves and Black both won pluralities, receiving 927 and 980 first-choice votes respectively....
- Any group that could turn out its members on election day might produce a narrow plurality for a candidate with multiple opponents.
- And so when all the votes are counted, if he's got a plurality or a majority, he wins the state we all ought to rally behind him.
2.1The number by which plurality exceeds the number of votes cast for the candidate placed second.
3chiefly historical another term for pluralism (sense 2). he obtained dispensations to hold several benefices in plurality...
- We must be committed in promoting the values of peace, tolerance and plurality.
- In this exhibition, however, visual culture is not reductively promoted as a reassuring link between peoples or as a mindless celebration of plurality and multiculturalism.
- The overall results reflect the country's plurality, the political literacy of its masses and the strength of its democracy.
Origin
Late Middle English: from Old French pluralite, from late Latin pluralitas, from Latin pluralis 'relating to more than one' (see plural).