social science
Americannoun
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the study of society and social behavior.
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a science or field of study, as history, economics, etc., dealing with an aspect of society or forms of social activity.
noun
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the study of society and of the relationship of individual members within society, including economics, history, political science, psychology, anthropology, and sociology
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any of these subjects studied individually
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.
In law and social science, we call this impact a chilling effect – the behavioral tendency for people in face of a threat to self-censor and restrain their activities for self-protection.
From Salon ● May 28, 2026
But as public policy and law and social science experts, we believe students aren’t protesting for a very simple reason: They are afraid.
From Salon ● May 28, 2026
He appears in social science standards, English lessons, and units on American heroes and biography writing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2026
The good news is that social science has answers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 30, 2025
Like all great communicators, he loved language: he wrote a whole book about the word ‘serendipity’, another about the phrase ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’, and he co-edited a volume of social science quotations.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
