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Synonyms

social science

American  

noun

  1. the study of society and social behavior.

  2. a science or field of study, as history, economics, etc., dealing with an aspect of society or forms of social activity.

social science British  

noun

  1. the study of society and of the relationship of individual members within society, including economics, history, political science, psychology, anthropology, and sociology

  2. any of these subjects studied individually

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
social science Scientific  
/ sō′shəl /

  1. Any of various disciplines that study human society and social relationships, including sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, political science, and history.

social science Cultural  

  1. The study of how groups of people behave, often in an effort to predict how they will behave in the future. The social sciences include economics, anthropology, sociology, political science, and aspects of psychology and history.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of social science

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Social science perspectives were nearly absent from the first three assessments and were introduced in limited ways in the fourth and fifth assessments.

From Scientific American • Apr. 7, 2022

Social science researcher Laurent Cordonier, a committee member, said “a small number of fake, misleading news can have serious consequences” and can radicalize certain groups.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 11, 2022

Now, a new study shores up the popularity of unreliable studies: Social science papers that failed to replicate racked up 153 more citations, on average, than papers that replicated successfully.

From Science Magazine • May 21, 2021

Social science research is notoriously incapable of answering the “final cause” question, except to invoke meaningless “coincidence” or “chance.”

From Washington Post • Nov. 22, 2019

Social science begins to verify the prophecy of poetry.

From History of American Socialisms by Noyes, John Humphrey

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.