1
: involving allies or confederates
the Social War between the Athenians and their allies
2
a
: 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
4
a
: 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
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
Michael W. FoxThe 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
Science
c
of a plant
: tending to grow in groups or masses so as to form a pure stand
5
a
: 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
Synonyms
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 WebSeth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2024
All Asian economies that have sparkled in the past half-century have seen heavy synchronization between their trade, industrial, and social policies.
—Debasish Roy Chowdhury, TIME, 24 Apr. 2024
The video game, along with a social media influencers group, is part of a big push to attract a younger audience: The average Cirque-goer is 42.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2024
Extraordinary economic, political, and social strains produce ruptures in intergenerational language transmission as young people cease to speak the way their elders do.
—Ross Perlin, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Others want to ensure their investments meet environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 23 Apr. 2024
Her Royal Foundation Center for Early Childhood funded a four-month trial of a baby observation tool that could be used to improve how health workers spot signs of social and emotional development in young children.
—Harriet Johnston, Glamour, 23 Apr. 2024
One way to overcome this fear is to do a practice run, says Erica Boothby, a social psychologist at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and co-author of Bohns’ compliment research.
—Angela Haupt, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
As fans, celebs, and influencers flock to the desert, anticipate your social feeds being filled with Ferris wheel photos, selfies on film, and some very interesting festival fashion.
—Andrea Navarro, Glamour, 12 Apr. 2024
Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 5 Apr. 2024
The last weekend of the summer was Gretta Benson-Klein’s ice-cream social, an event to which the entire church was invited.
—Aryn Kyle, Harper's Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024
Guests enjoy complimentary breakfast, wine and cheese socials daily, access to beach chairs and umbrellas, and conversations with resident parrots Tango and Tangee.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 28 Feb. 2024
The quote is a famous line from Frank Sinatra that the Law & Order star has shared on his socials before.
—Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 16 Feb. 2024
Naturally, footage from those shows gained lots of traction on socials, with fans kickstarting a grassroots campaign for an official release of the song.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 18 Jan. 2024
By now, the algorithm has probably graced all your socials with soothing ASMR videos of zen waterfall scalp massages or soothing steam hair sessions.
—Audrey Noble, Vogue, 22 Feb. 2024
Fans took note yesterday that the singer wiped her socials, a tactic often used by artists signaling the imminent arrival of a new era.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 21 Feb. 2024
Keep an eye on the Obsidian Entertainment socials for the official date announcement.
—The Arizona Republic, 29 Jan. 2024
Adjective
To play Asher’s deeply insecure, social justice warrior wife, Whitney, Fielder enlisted his friend Emma Stone.
—Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2024
All Asian economies that have sparkled in the past half-century have seen heavy synchronization between their trade, industrial, and social policies.
—Debasish Roy Chowdhury, TIME, 24 Apr. 2024
The video game, along with a social media influencers group, is part of a big push to attract a younger audience: The average Cirque-goer is 42.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2024
Extraordinary economic, political, and social strains produce ruptures in intergenerational language transmission as young people cease to speak the way their elders do.
—Ross Perlin, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Others want to ensure their investments meet environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 23 Apr. 2024
Her Royal Foundation Center for Early Childhood funded a four-month trial of a baby observation tool that could be used to improve how health workers spot signs of social and emotional development in young children.
—Harriet Johnston, Glamour, 23 Apr. 2024
One way to overcome this fear is to do a practice run, says Erica Boothby, a social psychologist at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and co-author of Bohns’ compliment research.
—Angela Haupt, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
As fans, celebs, and influencers flock to the desert, anticipate your social feeds being filled with Ferris wheel photos, selfies on film, and some very interesting festival fashion.
—Andrea Navarro, Glamour, 12 Apr. 2024
Noun
Posted on her socials Thursday (April 4), the snapshot finds the rapper posing in platform heels, a barely-there bikini bottom and an angelic veil held up in the back by two helper doves.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 5 Apr. 2024
The last weekend of the summer was Gretta Benson-Klein’s ice-cream social, an event to which the entire church was invited.
—Aryn Kyle, Harper's Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024
Guests enjoy complimentary breakfast, wine and cheese socials daily, access to beach chairs and umbrellas, and conversations with resident parrots Tango and Tangee.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 28 Feb. 2024
The quote is a famous line from Frank Sinatra that the Law & Order star has shared on his socials before.
—Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 16 Feb. 2024
Naturally, footage from those shows gained lots of traction on socials, with fans kickstarting a grassroots campaign for an official release of the song.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 18 Jan. 2024
By now, the algorithm has probably graced all your socials with soothing ASMR videos of zen waterfall scalp massages or soothing steam hair sessions.
—Audrey Noble, Vogue, 22 Feb. 2024
Fans took note yesterday that the singer wiped her socials, a tactic often used by artists signaling the imminent arrival of a new era.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 21 Feb. 2024
Keep an eye on the Obsidian Entertainment socials for the official date announcement.
—The Arizona Republic, 29 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'social.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to social
Dictionary Entries Near social
Cite this Entry
“Social.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
social
1 of 2 adjective
so·cial
ˈsō-shəl 
1
a
: devoted to or engaged in for sociability
social events
my social life
2
: of or relating to human society
social institutions
3
a
: tending to form cooperative relationships with others
we are social beings
b
: living or growing by nature in groups or communities
bees are social insects
4
a
: of, relating to, or based on rank in a particular society
not accepted as their social equal
b
: of or relating to fashionable society
a social leader
social
2 of 2 noun
: a friendly gathering usually for a special reason
an ice cream social
Medical Definition
social
adjective
so·cial
ˈsō-shəl
1
a
: 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
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