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

The country could now have a new social contract, one that prioritizes national security above everything else. —Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar, Foreign Affairs, 8 July 2025

This social contract, this order, makes sense by being so ubiquitous. —Literary Hub, 13 June 2025

Effective communication in the age of a broken social contract at work is tricky, but focus on deep and empathetic listening, consistent and aligned action and practical transparency. —Cynthia Pong, Forbes.com, 18 May 2025

The American public wants to explore a new social contract where federal tax dollars assume a smaller portion of the financing equation for research carried out in universities. —Mung Chiang, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for social contract

• overreact
• abstract
• attacked
• attract
• contact
• detract
• distract
• enact
• exact
• extract
• hijacked
• impact

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