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

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about social

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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

Funtastic Fridays for Kids A family social event in town featuring a bounce house, face painters and more. 5-8 p.m. ArtsPark at Young Circle, Hollywood. — Mary Lou Cruz, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Fort Lauderdale area events July 18-28," 13 July 2018 More often, though, successful politicians exploit changes in social attitudes that are already happening, rather than causing them by decree. — The Economist, "Fork in the roadShould the party move to the left or to the centre?," 12 July 2018 That creates an extreme financial burden on those families, and the pressure is social as well. — Erica Komisar, WSJ, "The Human Cost of Sweden’s Welfare State," 11 July 2018 Jeff Bernstein, a venture and capital markets adviser, said the setup was more inherently social than a co-working office. — Nellie Bowles, New York Times, "Sorry, Power-Lunchers. These Tables Are Reserved for Drop-In Workers.," 8 July 2018 Louis Marandi, social-welfare minister in Jharkhand, said the charity may be blacklisted if wrongdoing is proven. — Vidhi Doshi, Washington Post, "Nun from Mother Teresa’s charity in India arrested on suspicion of selling baby," 6 July 2018 But for the most part, the fears here are social, not supernatural. — Noel Murray, latimes.com, "Review: Actors make the most of seaside suspense in Welsh two-hander 'The Lighthouse'," 5 July 2018 Golden lion tamarins are highly social, living in family groups of two to eight, typically with only one active breeding pair. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, "The National Zoo’s Golden Lion Tamarins Delight Curators with the Delivery of Twins," 3 July 2018 Schwartzberg was seen as more of a homebody while Buckley wanted to be more social. — Melody Chiu, PEOPLE.com, "Married at First Sight's Jaclyn Schwartzberg and Ryan Buckley Split After 10 Months of Marriage," 27 June 2018

Recent 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. 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.

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Dictionary Entries near social

Statistics for social

Last Updated

4 Oct 2018

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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

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