What did John Stuart Mill mean by the tyranny of the majority?

While the phrase "tyranny of the majority" was coined by Alexis de Tocqueville, it was a central concern for John Stuart Mill regarding the potential dangers of democratic governance.1

Mill feared that in a complete democracy, the numerical majority could exert a restrictive and oppressive influence over individuals and minority viewpoints. He believed that such a system, rather than emancipating opinion, might actually make it more conformist and stifling.12

In his work On Liberty, Mill argued that individual liberty should only be infringed upon to prevent harm to others, not to enforce the will of the majority or paternalistic social norms. He maintained that the "collision of adverse opinions" is essential for the discovery of truth and that a society without the free play of speculative intelligence and creative minds would become a "stagnant pool". Ultimately, Mill believed that the value of a state is defined by the worth of the individuals within it, and he sought to protect the intellectual and personal freedom of the individual against the potential social and political pressures of the masses.32