1
as in organizations
a group of persons formally joined together for some common interest
a debate society
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in civilizations
the way people live at a particular time and place
a pre-automobile society in which ordinary people rarely strayed far from home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of societies
The existing political infrastructure has no way of accommodating migration on the coming scale, which will evacuate departure economies, and overwhelm destination societies.
—
Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
This vision resonated with the leaders of the Gulf states and their citizens, who have increasingly come to see themselves not as mere custodians of oil fields and checkbooks, but as builders of dynamic new economies and societies.
—Daniel Benaim, Time, 18 May 2026
Olendzki said the goal is not only to push people across the border, but to create chaos inside Western societies.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026
And for both societies, the references for food, sports and popular culture created a more neutral ground on which connection could still be imagined.
—Xianda Huang, The Conversation, 16 May 2026
The International Pediatric Association, a consortium of pediatric societies, said last year that e-cigarettes have not proved significantly effective at getting people to stop smoking.
—Aria Bendix, NBC news, 15 May 2026
The rules distinguish between ordinary waste generators, such as households and offices, and bulk-waste generators, such as large housing societies, hotels, markets, and institutions.
—Aman Kumar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 May 2026
If an election is triggered, those candidates who meet the threshold of support within the House of Commons would then have to receive the support of 5% of local constituency parties, or at least three party affiliates — groups such as trade unions and cooperative societies.
—ABC News, 12 May 2026
After two tournaments in autocratic countries (Russia and Qatar), where FIFA could order up stadiums à la carte, the coming 2026 iteration has required the messy work of dealmaking in democratic societies.
—Henry Grabar, The Atlantic, 12 May 2026
Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
This vision resonated with the leaders of the Gulf states and their citizens, who have increasingly come to see themselves not as mere custodians of oil fields and checkbooks, but as builders of dynamic new economies and societies.
—Daniel Benaim, Time, 18 May 2026
Olendzki said the goal is not only to push people across the border, but to create chaos inside Western societies.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026
And for both societies, the references for food, sports and popular culture created a more neutral ground on which connection could still be imagined.
—Xianda Huang, The Conversation, 16 May 2026
The International Pediatric Association, a consortium of pediatric societies, said last year that e-cigarettes have not proved significantly effective at getting people to stop smoking.
—Aria Bendix, NBC news, 15 May 2026
The rules distinguish between ordinary waste generators, such as households and offices, and bulk-waste generators, such as large housing societies, hotels, markets, and institutions.
—Aman Kumar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 May 2026
If an election is triggered, those candidates who meet the threshold of support within the House of Commons would then have to receive the support of 5% of local constituency parties, or at least three party affiliates — groups such as trade unions and cooperative societies.
—ABC News, 12 May 2026
After two tournaments in autocratic countries (Russia and Qatar), where FIFA could order up stadiums à la carte, the coming 2026 iteration has required the messy work of dealmaking in democratic societies.
—Henry Grabar, The Atlantic, 12 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for societies
Noun
-
The court recommended that the petition be dismissed, and that the organizations be given one month to submit the employee lists.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
15 May 2026
-
The tech giant has also committed to investments in schools and nonprofit organizations in Richland Parish, as well as more than $300 million to help improve local infrastructure, from roads to wastewater management.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
The harshness or relentlessness of weather can turn friends to lovers, can cause others to lose their minds, can provoke travel across continents, can cancel plans, can reroute rivers, can flood civilizations, can incite both panic and delight, can wash away a life’s work, can set fire to forests.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 May 2026
-
There are ancient civilizations that have achieved extremely sophisticated engineering.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
There will almost certainly be fewer small private colleges, and some number of public institutions will have merged.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
19 May 2026
-
Professional commentators tended to see these developments in so many local terms—turning, for their explanations, to national histories, cultures and institutions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Sedentary lifestyles feel normalized.—
John Samuels,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
-
Homeowners have been attending recent Village Board sessions questioning the burden the data center campus may have on residents, current lifestyles and the rapid pace of the development.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Condos are particularly tough for builders to invest in because California law allows homeowners associations, or HOAs, to sue developers for construction defects for up to 10 years after a building is completed.—
Roger Vincent,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
-
Perkin was an award-winning artist and a member of many art associations, Keto said.—
Julie Gallant,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Many cultures around the world have long thought of nonhuman animals as having something like consciousness; some even presume plants have it, too.—
Emma Gometz,
Scientific American,
15 May 2026
-
Even within our company, there was such a rich mix of cultures—New Zealanders, Japanese, Brazilians, Americans, and Australians.—
Zama Magudulela,
Travel + Leisure,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
The new recommendation differs from the other institutes like the American Society of Breast Surgeons and the American College of Radiology/Society of Breast Imaging, which call for annual mammography screenings, typically starting at age 40.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
-
Over the past decade, universities and research institutes all over the world have worked together to accelerate the scientific understanding of cellular biology, including its support of large-scale data generation projects such as the benchmark cell maps for humans and other organisms.—
Priscilla Chan,
Time,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Over this week, 61 Catholic brotherhoods snake through the city along the official parade route to Seville's Gothic cathedral and then back to their home churches.—
Alexis Marshall,
NPR,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Those meaningful bonds, or brotherhoods, are constantly at risk of being curtailed.—
Sam Blum,
New York Times,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Societies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/societies. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
