society

noun

so·ci·e·ty | \ sə-ˈsī-ə-tē

plural societies

Definition of society

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : companionship or association with one's fellows : friendly or intimate intercourse : company

2 : a voluntary association of individuals for common ends especially : an organized group working together or periodically meeting because of common interests, beliefs, or profession

3a : an enduring and cooperating social group whose members have developed organized patterns of relationships through interaction with one another

b : a community, nation, or broad grouping of people having common traditions, institutions, and collective activities and interests

4a : a part of a community that is a unit distinguishable by particular aims or standards of living or conduct : a social circle or a group of social circles having a clearly marked identity literary society

b : a part of the community that sets itself apart as a leisure class and that regards itself as the arbiter of fashion and manners

5a : a natural group of plants usually of a single species or habit within an association

b : the progeny of a pair of insects when constituting a social unit (such as a hive of bees) broadly : an interdependent system of organisms or biological units

society

adjective

Definition of society (Entry 2 of 2)

: of, relating to, or typical of fashionable society

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Examples of society in a Sentence

Noun

Poverty hurts society as a whole. We need to do more to help the poorer members of our society. the values of Western society She was introduced to society at a formal reception. The club's members are drawn from the ranks of high society.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Their descendants spread out across the entire continent, building towns and cities and creating complex societies. — James Griffiths, CNN, "The racist origins of the myth a Welsh prince beat Columbus to America," 21 July 2019 Monica Hesse is a columnist writing about gender and its impact on society. — Monica Hesse, Washington Post, "What do ‘Lock her up’ and ‘Send her back’ have in common? It’s pretty obvious.," 20 July 2019 The historical society revived the annual moon-landing celebration in honor of the big 50. — Marcia Dunn, Anchorage Daily News, "Nation marks 50 years after Apollo 11′s ‘giant leap’ on moon," 20 July 2019 Still, advocates stress inmates need more resources to help them transition back into society. — Mola Lenghi, CBS News, "More than 3,000 prisoners released under First Step Act," 19 July 2019 He was joined by intellectual society Mensa members and writers Doug Ecks, Nevin Millan, Jenny Rankin and Ian Randal Strock. — Brittany Meiling, San Diego Union-Tribune, "5 futuristic tech ideas that might actually happen (and 5 that won’t) — predictions from Comic-Con 2019," 19 July 2019 Texting while driving a semi-truck is outrageous and should be soundly condemned by society. — Mary Divine, Twin Cities, "At sentencing, apology from trucker who rear-ended car in Lake Elmo, killing driver," 19 July 2019 Though some couples have made special arrangements in recent years to hold weddings at the museum, the historical society never actively marketed it to engaged couples until now. — Janene Holzberg, baltimoresun.com, "‘I knew it was the place’: Museum of Howard County History provides unique venue for weddings, showers," 19 July 2019 But one key difference however is that unlike in most African countries, there’s much wider awareness about wildlife conservation as well as significantly more government spending and civil society support. — Yomi Kazeem, Quartz Africa, "The most underused tools in fighting wildlife poaching in Africa are its beloved national soccer teams," 19 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'society.' 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 society

societas universorum bonorum

société anonyme

société en commandite

Statistics for society

Last Updated

24 Jul 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for society

The first known use of society was circa 1513

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More Definitions for society

society

noun

English Language Learners Definition of society

: people in general thought of as living together in organized communities with shared laws, traditions, and values

: the people of a particular country, area, time, etc., thought of especially as an organized community

: people who are fashionable and wealthy

See the full definition for society in the English Language Learners Dictionary

society

noun

so·ci·ety | \ sə-ˈsī-ə-tē

plural societies

Kids Definition of society

1 : a community or group of people having common traditions, institutions, and interests medieval society western society

2 : all of the people of the world Medical advances help society.

3 : a group of persons with a common interest, belief, or purpose historical societies

4 : friendly association with others He avoided the society of other painters.

society

noun

so·ci·e·ty | \ sə-ˈsī-ə-tē

plural societies

Legal Definition of society

1 : the benefits of love, care, affection, and companionship that family members receive from each other sought damages for loss of society from his wife's wrongful death — compare consortium

2 : a voluntary association of individuals dedicated to common ends a conservation society

3 : a community, nation, or broad grouping of people having common traditions, institutions, and collective activities and interests