social

adjective

so·cial | \ ˈsō-shəl

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

noun

Definition of social (Entry 2 of 2)

: sociable

Other Words from social Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about social

Keep scrolling for more

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

The rules of the game are stacked against transformative change and proposed solutions are met with immense social, political... — WSJ, "Managed Grazing Is Needed for Clean Water," 3 Feb. 2019 The whole point of a cocktail party is to be social. — Sam Dangremond, Town & Country, "13 Surefire Ways to Start a Cocktail Party Conversation," 1 Feb. 2019 If the statistics around how diets fail weren't convincing enough, think of the cost of dieting to our emotional, physical, social, and financial health. — Abby Langer, SELF, "How to Rid Yourself of the Diet Mentality and Stop Dieting Once and For All," 6 Jan. 2019 In the wake of Trump’s election, showing solidarity and support for populations left most vulnerable by his presidency is crucial in enacting large-scale social change. — C Mandler, Seventeen, "Please Stop Wearing Those Pussy Hats To Women's Marches," 18 Jan. 2019 And credit is being given to social justice activist and writer Shaun King, CNN reported. — Christianna Silva, Teen Vogue, "Two Men Were Arrested in Connection With 7-Year-Old Jazmine Barnes's Killing," 7 Jan. 2019 Under Conrad, a lifestyle guru who runs LaurenConrad.com, and Skvarla, who has a background in fashion and social justice, the website quickly became a destination for sustainable shopping. — Danielle Tullo, House Beautiful, "Lauren Conrad And Hannah Skvarla Of The Little Market Are Changing The World," 11 Dec. 2018 Cuthbert used to be a social worker in Canada, specializing in mental health and addictions counseling, while modeling on the side. — Jessica Radloff, Glamour, "'Fiji Water Girl' Kelleth Cuthbert Tells Us: 'This Is Something I Would Go Viral For'," 7 Jan. 2019 Sherry Amatenstein, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist, tells SELF. — Meredith Clark, SELF, "Why Some Couples Can Recover After Cheating and Others Can't," 27 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The couple flaunts coordinating masks in a photo shared to both their socials, and Davidson is holding what appears to be a turtle, because why not? — Sam Tornow, Billboard, "Pete Davidson Has a Chill Pizza Date With Ariana Grande, Shows Off Blonde Hair Makeover: Pics," 2 July 2018 Each graphic naturally comes with sharing buttons so they can be saved or shared to various socials. — Dani Deahl, The Verge, "This app will show you your Apple Music listening habits for 2018," 26 Dec. 2018 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

These 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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about social

Dictionary Entries near social

Statistics for social

Last Updated

8 Feb 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for social

The first known use of social was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

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

noun

English 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

so·cial | \ ˈsō-shəl

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

noun

Kids Definition of social (Entry 2 of 2)

: a friendly gathering usually for a special reason

social

adjective

so·cial | \ ˈsō-shəl

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