society

1 a group of persons formally joined together for some common interest a debate society Synonyms board, brotherhood, chamber, club, college, congress, consortium, council, fellowship, fraternity, guild (also gild), institute, institution, league, order, organization, association, sodalityRelated Words collective, commune, community, cooperative; alliance, bloc, camp, coalition, partnership; body, cadre, group; circle, clan, clique, coterie, junta, junto, klatch (also klatsch), lot, set; crew, outfit, party, squad, team; branch, chapter, local; faithful, fold, membership; sisterhood, sorority; cabal, camarilla, camorra, confederacy, conspiracy; band, gang, ring; cartel, combine, syndicate

2 the feeling of closeness and friendship that exists between companions an evening marked by a lovely dinner and the society of our closest friends Synonyms brotherhood, camaraderie, community, company, comradery, comradeship, fellowship, companionshipRelated Words amity, benevolence, cordiality, friendliness, friendship, goodwill, kindliness; civility, comity, concord, harmony, rapport; charity, generosity; affinity, compassion, empathy, sympathy; chumminess, familiarity, inseparability, intimacy, nearness; affection, devotion, fondness, loveNear Antonyms forlornness, loneliness, lonesomeness

3 the way people live at a particular time and place a pre-automobile society in which ordinary people rarely strayed far from home Synonyms culture, life, lifestyle, civilizationRelated Words customs, manners, mores, values; folklore, heritage, legacy, tradition; subculture, subsociety