social

[soh-shuhl]

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.

noun

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

/ 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

noun

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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of social¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of social¹

C16: from Latin sociālis companionable, from socius a comrade

Example Sentences

Witt dives deep into this social setting, revealing not only big-picture moments and movements but also the people and legal decisions that created the environment for this crisis of American life.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Armajani’s unusual earthwork joined in: Embracing a legal, bureaucratic form, he pointed to land as a decidedly social structure.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Thirty years after the release and success of “Tragic Kingdom,” Wilder says he and Gwen recently connected via social media and finally talked about that complicated time in the studio.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Fearing consequences, some officers have taken to posting about misconduct anonymously on social media or recruiting surrogates to call in to Police Commission hearings to raise allegations of wrongdoing on their behalf.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It was no different on the day of her Senate confirmation hearing, when journalists and social media delighted in noting that seated behind her was her son-in-law, the retired wrestler known as Triple H.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• civil 
• communal