View synonyms for

silent majority

noun

the U.S. citizens who supported President Nixon's policies but who were not politically vocal, outspoken, or active: considered by him to constitute a majority.
any group of people who are not outspoken and who are considered to constitute a majority.

silent majority

noun

a presumed moderate majority of the citizens who are too passive to make their views known

silent majority

A term used by President Richard Nixon to indicate his belief that the great body of Americans supported his policies and that those who demonstrated against the involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War amounted to only a noisy minority.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of silent majority¹

First recorded in 1870–75

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Idioms and Phrases

A group that makes up a majority of voters but does not widely express its views through marches or demonstrations. For example, They thought they had a convincing case, but they hadn't counted on the silent majority. This idiom was first recorded in 1874 but gained currency in the 1960s, when President Richard Nixon claimed that his policies were supported by a majority of citizens who did not bother to make their views known.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

As Stephens put it, “There’s a silent majority of people who prefer our style of good-humored disagreement to the endless food fight that is today’s politics.”

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He is giving a voice, he says, to what he calls "the silent majority" of Hongkongers who do not support independence from China, nor the disruption created by the protests.

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"Reagan created a blueprint for the long-term success of the Republican Party as the voice of conservative 'middle America' and 'the silent majority,'" one historian writes.

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Steve Brint, a historian at the University of California, Riverside, observed that by repeatedly cracking down on university protests, "Reagan created a blueprint for the long-term success of the Republican Party as the voice of conservative 'middle America' and 'the silent majority.'"

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This is what he is doing when he says he is standing up for the ‘silent majority’ and ‘forgotten men and women,’ or when he claims he will protect ‘suburban housewives’ from the threat of illegal migrants.”

From

silent disco “Silent Night”

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