Download the app
educalingo
Search
The silent majority distrusts people who believe in causes.
Brian Moore

Meaning of "silent majority" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF SILENT MAJORITY

silent majority play
facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsapp

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF SILENT MAJORITY

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Silent majority is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES SILENT MAJORITY MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Silent majority

The silent majority is an unspecified large majority of people in a country or group who do not express their opinions publicly. The term was popularized by U.S. President Richard Nixon in a November 3, 1969, speech in which he said, "And so tonight—to you, the great silent majority of my fellow Americans—I ask for your support." In this usage it referred to those Americans who did not join in the large demonstrations against the Vietnam War at the time, who did not join in the counterculture, and who did not participate in public discourse. Nixon along with many others saw this group of Middle Americans as being overshadowed in the media by the more vocal minority. The phrase was used in the 19th century as a euphemism referring to all the people who have died, and others have used it before and after Nixon to refer to groups of voters in various nations of the world.

Definition of silent majority in the English dictionary

The definition of silent majority in the dictionary is a presumed moderate majority of the citizens who are too passive to make their views known.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE SILENT MAJORITY

sile
silen
silence
silenced
silencer
silene
Sileni
silent
silent cop
silent killer
silent partner
silent revolution
silent screen
silent witness
silentiary
silently
silentness
Silenus
siler
silesia

WORDS THAT END LIKE SILENT MAJORITY

aperture priority
Atomic Energy Authority
authority
celebrity
ethnic minority
Greater London Authority
Health Authority
in the majority
inferiority
local authority
majority
minority
Palestinian National Authority
port authority
priority
seniority
sonority
sorority
superiority
tax authority
unitary authority

Synonyms and antonyms of silent majority in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «silent majority» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF SILENT MAJORITY

Find out the translation of silent majority to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of silent majority from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «silent majority» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

沉默的大多数
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

mayoría silenciosa
570 millions of speakers

English

silent majority
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

मूक बहुमत
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

الأغلبية الصامتة
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

Молчаливое большинство
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

maioria silenciosa
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

নীরব সংখ্যাগরিষ্ঠ
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

majorité silencieuse
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Majoriti senyap
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

schweigende Mehrheit
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

声なき声
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

침묵하는 다수
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Mayoritas bisu
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

đa số thầm lặng
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

அமைதியான பெரும்பான்மை
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

मूक बहुमत
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Sessiz çoğunluk
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

maggioranza silenziosa
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

milcząca większość
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

мовчазна більшість
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

majoritate tăcută
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

σιωπηλή πλειοψηφία
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

stille meerderheid
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

tysta majoriteten
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

tause majoriteten
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of silent majority

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «SILENT MAJORITY»

The term «silent majority» is regularly used and occupies the 107.617 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
50
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «silent majority» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of silent majority
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «silent majority».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «SILENT MAJORITY» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «silent majority» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «silent majority» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about silent majority

EXAMPLES

QUOTES WITH «SILENT MAJORITY»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word silent majority.
1
Brian Moore
The silent majority distrusts people who believe in causes.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «SILENT MAJORITY»

Discover the use of silent majority in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to silent majority and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
The Sweetheart of the Silent Majority: The Biography of ...
A revealing look at the private life and public convictions of Phyllis Schlafly chronicles her rise to national prominence as an archconservative and a determined opponent of the Equal Rights Amendment, gay rights, and reproductive freedom
Carol Felsenthal, 1981
2
The Welfare of Animals: The Silent Majority
This book will be of interest to anyone concerned with the welfare of animals, but especially veterinarians, animal owners and animal scientists.
Clive Phillips, 2008
3
Authentically Black: Essays for the Black Silent Majority
A new collection of thought-provoking essays by the best-selling author of Losing the Race examines what it means to be black in modern-day America, addressing such issues as racial profiling, the reparations movement, film and TV ...
John McWhorter, 2004
4
The Silent Majority: Suburban Politics in the Sunbelt South
To demonstrate the na- tional solidarity of the Silent Majority, the UCCA touted delegates from Mississippi to Michigan and scheduled its third meeting in Chicago on the weekend before the Supreme Court hearing in the Swann v. Charlotte- ...
Matthew D. Lassiter, 2013
5
Richard Nixon and the Quest for a New Majority
Although workers were, in fact, somewhat more dovish overall than middle-class Americans, their opposition to protesters was stronger.76 The "silent majority" speech both managed to provide Nixon with an extension of general public support ...
Robert Mason, 2004
6
The Rise and Fall of the New Deal Order, 1930-1980
... voters who helped produce it. Of course, certain segments of that vast and eclectic American middle, split in countless ways by region and income, religion and ethnicity, had warmed 243 The Rise of the "Silent Majority" JONATHAN RIEDER.
Steve Fraser, Gary Gerstle, 1989
7
Perspectives Of The Silent Majority : Air Pollution, ...
Amitava Mukherjee. because in the villagers' perception, they are the ones traditionally viewed as non-Bankable; they lose out as they hardly have anything to offer as collateral to secure their loans. ///. 2. Crops Grown and Cropping Pattern ...
Amitava Mukherjee, 2002
8
Richard Nixon and the Rise of Affirmative Action: The ...
tonight — to you the great silent majority of my fellow Americans — I ask for your support."60 Somewhat unexpectedly, the speech generated a huge response from the American public. Nixon modestly recalled: "Very few speeches actually ...
Kevin L. Yuill, 2006
9
Vietnam War Era: People and Perspectives
Setting aside the militant vocal minority, Nixon coined a memorable phrase: “And so tonight—to you, the great silent majority of my fellow Americans—I ask for your support” (Nixon 1969). In short order, the Silent Majority (usually written with ...
Mitchell K. Hall, 2009
10
The Presidency and the Rhetoric of Foreign Crisis
Beyond these broad, explicit appeals based on his office, Nixon also made a concerted effort to appeal directly to his silent majority supporters. In his June 3 speech, for instance, Nixon expressed his "deep appreciation to the millions of ...
Denise M. Bostdorff, 1994

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «SILENT MAJORITY»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term silent majority is used in the context of the following news items.
1
No avoiding it: Trump stirring the silent majority
The term "silent majority" re-entered our lexicon this past week, when Donald Trump exclaimed, "The silent majority is back, and we're going to take the country ... «American Thinker, Jul 15»
2
Trumping Political Success through an Irate Silent Majority
Richard Nixon made hay of the term “Silent majority” back in November 1969 to defend his Vietnam War policy. It has since been used by American politicians to ... «MWC News, Jul 15»
3
Donald Trump Defiantly Rallies a New 'Silent Majority' in a Visit to …
“The silent majority is back, and we're going to take our country back,” Mr. Trump declared as he left the stage. Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, whose ... «New York Times, Jul 15»
4
Not accurate to stereotype vocal voices, silent majority
The writer mentioned correctly in “Govt should rebut mistaken views in cyberspace” (July 4) that the tone of an online discussion may be set by the vocal voices. «TODAYonline, Jul 15»
5
Banksy's Glastonbury truck artwork Silent Majority sells for almost …
The 10-metre wide painting, made in 1998 and titled Silent Majority, was done on the side of a truck's trailer during the Glastonbury Festival in England by the ... «Sydney Morning Herald, Jun 15»
6
Banksy's Silent Majority fetches more than £445k in Paris
An early Banksy work painted on the side of a festival worker's trailer has fetched £445,792 ($676,668) at an auction in Paris. Silent Majority, painted during the ... «BBC News, Jun 15»
7
Banksy's largest, early mobile work, Silent Majority, goes under the …
An early and unique painting by Banksy will go under the hammer at DIGARD AUCTION in Paris in June. Silent Majority is a mural almost 10 metres long ... «ArtfixDaily, May 15»
8
Silent Majority plans protest in support of Chris Wat
Pro-government group Silent Majority for Hong Kong is staging a protest Sunday in support of former Ming Pao columnist Chris Wat Wing-yin, the newspaper ... «EJ Insight, May 15»
9
Fundamental change: Time for policy to focus on the silent majority
The "fundamental change" that Obama pushed concentrated on improving the lives of select minorities, creating continuing hardships for the country's majority. «Communities Digital News, May 15»
10
The silent majority is against Kidex/Dash
I am shocked by a statement by Lee Hui Seng of Sungai Buloh who claims he speaks on behalf of the 'silent majority' that wants the Kinrara-Damansara ... «Malaysiakini, May 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Silent majority [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/silent-majority>. Apr 2024 ».
Download the educalingo app
en
English dictionary
Discover all that is hidden in the words on
index
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z