so·ci·e·ty
sə-ˈsī-ə-tē 
plural societies
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
3
a
: 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
4
a
: 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
5
a
: 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
: of, relating to, or typical of fashionable society
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
Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 20 Dec. 2025
Psychological and Social Effects Growing up in a society with consistent access to a selective reality on social media that often doesn’t reflect true reality, can result in pressures, expectations, and beliefs that are difficult or impossible to realize, says Biller.
—Sherri Gordon, Parents, 20 Dec. 2025
The finding sheds light on how the plague likely spread through close contact between people, livestock and wild animals as Bronze Age societies began keeping larger herds and traveling farther with horses.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 20 Dec. 2025
Since 2015, Tanzania has become a demonstrably less open place, ratcheting up the brutality against opposition elites and civil society writ large.
—Yonatan Morse, The Conversation, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for society
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
What the Kremlin may be cognizant of, experts say, is concerns about a large group of war veterans re-entering society – without jobs and many with expensive medical needs – if a peace agreement is reached.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 20 Dec. 2025
Psychological and Social Effects Growing up in a society with consistent access to a selective reality on social media that often doesn’t reflect true reality, can result in pressures, expectations, and beliefs that are difficult or impossible to realize, says Biller.
—Sherri Gordon, Parents, 20 Dec. 2025
The finding sheds light on how the plague likely spread through close contact between people, livestock and wild animals as Bronze Age societies began keeping larger herds and traveling farther with horses.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 20 Dec. 2025
Since 2015, Tanzania has become a demonstrably less open place, ratcheting up the brutality against opposition elites and civil society writ large.
—Yonatan Morse, The Conversation, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for society
Cite this Entry
“Society.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/society. Accessed 23 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
society
noun
so·ci·e·ty
sə-ˈsī-ə-tē
plural societies
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
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