social
adjective
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Definition of social
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : involving allies or confederates the Social War between the Athenians and their allies
2a : marked by or passed in pleasant companionship with friends or associates an active social life
b : sociable
c : of, relating to, or designed for sociability a social club
3 : of or relating to human society, the interaction of the individual and the group, or the welfare of human beings as members of society social institutions
4a : tending to form cooperative and interdependent relationships with others Infants can become social beings only through interaction with others.— Gerald R. Leslie and Sheila K. Korman
b : living and breeding in more or less organized communities especially for the purposes of cooperation and mutual benefit : not solitary Of the canid family, the wolf is one of the most social species, since it is a pack hunter.— Michael W. Fox The evolutionary theory of kin selection requires that social animals recognize their relatives so that altruistic behavior can be displayed preferentially toward kin. — Science — see also social insect
c of a plant : tending to grow in groups or masses so as to form a pure stand
5a : of, relating to, or based on rank or status in a particular society a member of our social set
b : of, relating to, or characteristic of the upper classes
c : formal
6 : being such in social situations a social drinker
social
nounDefinition of social (Entry 2 of 2)
: sociable
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Synonyms & Antonyms for social
Synonyms: Adjective
boon, clubbable (also clubable), clubby, companionable, convivial, extroverted (also extraverted), gregarious, outgoing, sociable
Antonyms: Adjective
antisocial, insociable, introverted, nongregarious, reclusive, unsociable, unsocial
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Examples of social in a Sentence
Adjective
She has poor social skills. The vacation resort held a lot of social events. I joined the club to improve my social life. Her sister is much more social than she is. social institutions like marriage and family Health care is a major social issue. Child abuse has become a serious social problem. Martin Luther King, Jr., fought for social change. Most humans are social beings.Noun
The club has socials every month. He's living on the social now.
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
She was later hired by a nonprofit to help global companies evaluate their environmental and social impact and improve their supply chain. — Emily Farra, Vogue, "Is Your Underwear Bad for the Planet—And Possibly Your Health?," 30 Nov. 2018 If researchers know that producing bad work has social and career consequences, this incentivizes more careful and diligent work. — Ars Technica, "The Journal of Controversial Ideas—academic freedom sans responsibility is reckless," 25 Nov. 2018 The company's entire collection was designed to serve a therapeutic purpose and teach children social and emotional life skills. — Adam Schubak, Good Housekeeping, "We Figured Out How You Can Buy All Your Christmas Gifts on a $500 Budget," 21 Nov. 2018 In today's social eco-system, what could be more luxurious? — Vanessa Lawrence, ELLE Decor, "Versace Opens LEED Gold Boutique in Florida," 19 Nov. 2018 More research is necessary to fully delve into possible social and biological factors behind gender differences in narcissism and NPD. — Nina Bahadur, SELF, "9 Facts to Know About Narcissistic Personality Disorder Before Calling Someone a Narcissist," 8 Nov. 2018 As social media platforms continue to stage increasingly tangled culture wars, and personal data is siphoned up at every possible turn to feed advertising networks, Berners-Lee is rightfully dismayed that the Web is in poor health. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Tim Berners-Lee Wants a 'Magna Carta' to Save the Modern Internet. He's Way Too Late.," 8 Nov. 2018 Providing them with access to education is the key to economic and social development. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Meghan Markle's First Speech on the Royal Tour Centered Around the Importance of Women's Education," 24 Oct. 2018 Neither brand is having a dedicated sale, but both are encouraging shopping by championing social and political activism. — Aditi Shrikant, Vox, "Why some brands aren’t offering Black Friday deals," 23 Nov. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Born and raised in North Carolina, Talley was introduced to fashion by his grandmother and aunts who would dress up for church socials. — Shammara Lawrence, Teen Vogue, "André Leon Talley Takes Center Stage in Documentary "The Gospel According To André"," 30 May 2018 Fans have taken to the socials to congratulate mama Cardi, and share their opinions about the baby's name. — Sofia Mele, Billboard, "Fans React to Cardi B and Offset Welcoming Daughter Kulture Kiari: See the Tweets," 11 July 2018 Tyga showed off on his socials Tuesday (July 10), posting a photo aboard a private jet in a brand-new black LeBron James Lakers jersey. — Sofia Mele, Billboard, "Tyga Shows Off His New LeBron James Lakers Jersey: '1st One Made'," 10 July 2018 Group activities include bonfires, live music, lobster bakes, movie nights, and ice cream socials. — Diane Daniel, BostonGlobe.com, "More ways to camp in style at Sandy Pines," 10 July 2018 There is a fun committee who plans and organizes holiday parties, Happy Hours, breakfasts, ice cream socials, and a Super Bowl party with families. — azcentral, "Top Companies to Work for in Arizona-Small Companies," 7 June 2018 The company hosts fun holiday parties, office socials and spring training games and boosts teamwork with organized team building events throughout the year. — azcentral, "Top Companies to Work for in Arizona-Small Companies," 7 June 2018 Sports and politics, and sports and socials issues have always collided with one another, but now more than ever those conversations are dominating the news cycle. — Dan Deluca, Philly.com, "Jemele Hill is playing the Roots Picnic: The ESPN commentator on the NFL and Donald Trump, Bryan Colangelo and the Sixers," 1 June 2018 Future and Jay stans combined with the infamous Bey Hive to light up the DJ mogul's socials as the memes flooded Khaled's mentions alongside plenty of praise and a sea of emojis. — Wandera Hussein, Billboard, "Fans Shout 'Fire!' About DJ Khaled's Star-Studded 'Top Off'," 2 Mar. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'social.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Learn More about social
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
A New Kind of 'Social'?
A New Kind of 'Social'?
Disrupting the human interaction business
Dictionary Entries near social
Statistics for social
Last Updated
13 Dec 2018
Look-up Popularity
Time Traveler for social
The first known use of social was in the 14th century
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More Definitions for social
social
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of social
(Entry 1 of 2)
: relating to or involving activities in which people spend time talking to each other or doing enjoyable things with each other
: liking to be with and talk to people : happy to be with people
: of or relating to people or society in general
social
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of social (Entry 2 of 2)
: an informal social event for members of a group
See the full definition for social in the English Language Learners Dictionary
social
adjective
\
Kids Definition of social
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : enjoying other people : sociable a social person
2 : relating to interaction with other people especially for pleasure a busy social life
3 : of or relating to human beings as a group Marriage and family are social institutions.
4 : living naturally in groups or communities Bees are social insects.
5 : relating to or based on rank in a particular society social classes
social
nounKids Definition of social (Entry 2 of 2)
: a friendly gathering usually for a special reason
social
adjective
\
Medical Definition of social
1a : tending to form cooperative and interdependent relationships with others of one's kind
b : living and breeding in more or less organized communities social insects
2 : of or relating to human society, the interaction of the individual and the group, or the welfare of human beings as members of society immature social behavior
Other Words from social
\
adverb
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