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Mehrheitsmeinung
/ˈmeːɐ̯haɪ̯t͡sˌmaɪ̯nʊŋ/
majority opinion
Die Mehrheitsmeinung der Jury war einstimmig.
The jury's majority opinion was unanimous.
formal
The opinion held by the majority of a group or population.
In der Gesellschaft setzt sich langsam die Mehrheitsmeinung durch, dass erneuerbare Energien gefördert werden müssen.
In society, the majority opinion is slowly gaining ground that renewable energies need to be promoted.
Die Mehrheitsmeinung in der Versammlung stimmte für den neuen Vorschlag.
The majority opinion in the assembly voted in favor of the new proposal.
Often used in contexts like surveys, polls, or group decisions where a collective stance is determined.
Collocations
die öffentliche Mehrheitsmeinungpublic majority opiniondie Mehrheitsmeinung vertretento represent the majority opinionsich der Mehrheitsmeinung anschließento align with the majority opinion
Pro Tip
Avoid confusion with 'Minderheitsmeinung'
Remember that 'Mehrheitsmeinung' refers to the dominant view, while 'Minderheitsmeinung' (minority opinion) refers to a less common perspective. The prefix 'Mehr-' means 'majority' and 'Minder-' means 'minority'.
Gold Rule
Context matters
In legal contexts, 'Mehrheitsmeinung' often refers to the opinion of the majority of judges in a ruling. In social contexts, it may refer to public opinion polls or surveys.
Word Origin
Compound of 'Mehrheit' (majority) + 'Meinung' (opinion), first attested in the early 20th century. 'Mehrheit' derives from Middle High German 'mehheit' (majority), from Old High German 'meh' (more), related to English 'many'. 'Meinung' stems from Middle High German 'meinunge' (opinion), from Proto-Germanic '*mainijaną' (to mean, intend).
Usage Notes
Used in formal contexts such as legal decisions, academic discussions, or social surveys. Avoid using in informal speech where simpler terms like 'Mehrheit' (majority) or 'allgemeine Meinung' (general opinion) might suffice.
Word Breakdown
Mehrheit
majority
rootMeinung
opinion
rootDeutsch-Englisch Wörterbuch