supermajority

noun

su·​per·​ma·​jor·​i·​ty ˈsü-pər-mə-ˌjȯr-ə-tē 

-ˌjär-

plural supermajorities

: a majority (such as two-thirds or three-fifths) that is greater than a simple majority

treaty ratification requires a supermajority

Furthermore, it is about even money that soon after Congress convenes in January it will … approve a constitutional amendment to require supermajorities (three-fifths) in both houses of Congress to approve deficit spending.

—George F. Will

The company, for instance, has a supermajority clause in its articles of incorporation; 80% of the shareholders must approve any sale or merger.

—Joshua Hyatt

Examples of supermajority in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The state Legislature can amend the measure only with a two-thirds supermajority vote, and any changes would need to further the initiative. — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has gained a conservative supermajority with a record of siding with conservative religious litigants who argue that LGBTQ protections violate their First Amendment rights. — Mark Satta, The Conversation, 1 Oct. 2026

Seventy-eight Democrats in the Assembly and Senate backed the bill, while a handful of members of the supermajority party withheld their votes and Republicans voted en masse against it. — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Neither the House nor the Senate took up the bill, despite Democrats holding a supermajority in both chambers. — Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for supermajority

• exteriority
• inferiority
• superiority
• authority
• majority
• minority
• priority
• seniority
• sonority
• sorority

Legal Definition

supermajority

noun

su·​per·​ma·​jor·​i·​ty ˈsü-pər-mə-ˌjȯr-ə-tē 

: a large majority

a provision requiring a supermajority vote — say, 80 % of the common shares instead of the usual bare majority rule

—R. C. Clark