social

American  

[soh-shuhl] / ˈsoʊ ʃəl /

adjective

1. relating to, devoted to, or characterized by friendly companionship or relations.

   a social club.

2. seeking or enjoying the companionship of others; friendly; sociable; gregarious.

3. of, relating to, connected with, or suited to polite or fashionable society.

   a social event.

4. living or disposed to live in companionship with others or in a community, rather than in isolation.

   People are social beings.

5. of or relating to human society, especially as a body divided into classes according to status.

   social rank.

6. involved in many social activities.

   We're so busy working, we have to be a little less social now.

7. of or relating to the life, welfare, and relations of human beings in a community.

   social problems.

8. noting or relating to activities designed to remedy or alleviate certain unfavorable conditions of life in a community, especially among poor people.

9. relating to or advocating the theory or system of socialism.

10. Digital Technology. noting or relating to online technologies, activities, etc., that promote companionship or communication with friends and other personal contacts: the use of social software to share expertise.

    social websites such as Facebook;

    the use of social software to share expertise.

11. Zoology. living habitually together in communities, as bees or ants.

12. Botany. growing in patches or clumps.

13. Rare. occurring or taking place between allies or confederates.

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noun

• socials
  plural

1. a social gathering or party, especially of or as given by an organized group.

   a church social.

2. Digital Technology. social media.

   photos posted to social.

social British  

/ ˈsəʊʃəl /

adjective

1. living or preferring to live in a community rather than alone

2. denoting or relating to human society or any of its subdivisions

3. of, relating to, or characteristic of the experience, behaviour, and interaction of persons forming groups

4. relating to or having the purpose of promoting companionship, communal activities, etc

   a social club

5. relating to or engaged in social services

   a social worker

6. relating to or considered appropriate to a certain class of society, esp one thought superior

7. (esp of certain species of insects) living together in organized colonies Compare solitary

   social bees

8. (of plant species) growing in clumps, usually over a wide area

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noun

1. an informal gathering, esp of an organized group, to promote companionship, communal activity, etc

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• socialness
  noun
• hypersocial
  adjective
• intersocial
  adjective
• nonsocial
  adjective
• pseudosocial
  adjective
• unsocial
  adjective
• socially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• socials
  plural

Etymology

Origin of social

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, Middle French, from Latin sociālis, equivalent to soci(us) “partner, comrade, ally” (derivative of sequī “to follow”) + -ālis -al ¹

Explanation

If you are social, you like to be around people. A social butterfly is someone who is social or friendly with everyone, flitting from person to person, the way a butterfly might. The word social comes from the Latin socius meaning "friend." When you're being social, you're everyone's friend. Go to a social, or mixer, and you might make a lot of new friends. Stand in the corner pouting, however, and you're being anti-social. Humans are described as social beings — ones that tend to move or live in groups together, like penguins!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

social socials

Videos on social media show cars submerged in Geoje as strong currents swept the streets.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

"Years later, we won back the walls from the gangs," said the muralist who considers art a "magical tool" for "social transformation."

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

The range and scope of ongoing litigation show how anger at Meta and other social media companies over their products’ effects on kids has spilled into broad bipartisan agreement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

This week a trial kicks off in federal court, where four states—California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey—argue that Meta misled the public on the harms of social media to young minds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Aunt J is so busy checking social media, she hardly notices.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

“It was on all the socials and friends were sending me videos,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

"We always find that the lead up to these days are worse, because you see everything on socials, you get the emails, you see the adverts about the occasion coming up," she said.

From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2026

During one of her last shows, she played tracks submitted by musicians from across the UK after putting a message out on socials.

From BBC ● Jan. 2, 2026

Many have suggested the focus should be on forcing socials to better police harmful content and limit the power of algorithms, while also preparing children for the reality of life on the web.

From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2025

At summer socials, their day of fun was capped off with the ultimate celebration of a butcher’s skill—the cattle-dressing contest.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield

Related Words

• civil
• communal