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social contract
noun
: an actual or hypothetical agreement among the members of an organized society or between a community and its ruler that defines and limits the rights and duties of each
Examples of social contract in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But OpenAI’s growing public trust deficit could wind up undermining the other part of Nadella’s social contract.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 21 May 2024
Universities are part of a social contract in this country.
—CBS News, 19 May 2024
In the minds of their architects, the establishment of a wholly new social contract has meant renovating human nature itself.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 28 Mar. 2024
To shore up that social contract, Beijing wants to run a tighter surveillance ship and increase control over its mass monitoring machinery.
—Mary Hui, Quartz, 21 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for social contract
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'social contract.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1660, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near social contract
Cite this Entry
“Social contract.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20contract. Accessed 13 Jun. 2024.
Legal Definition
social contract
noun
so·cial contract
: an actual or hypothetical agreement among individuals forming an organized society or between the community and the ruler that defines and limits the rights and duties of each
More from Merriam-Webster on social contract
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about social contract
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