societal
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of societal
Explanation
Use the adjective societal to describe something that is related to society, like the societal changes that came about as a result of the civil rights movement. People living together in a community make up a society, and anything connected to that group can be described as societal. Societal pressures are expectations that affect the entire community, or specific parts of it, like the pressure to get married and have children. Society, which is at the root of societal, has been used since the 1500s to mean "friendly association with others." The meaning shifted in the next one hundred years to refer specifically to an orderly community of people.
Vocabulary lists containing societal
"Laws are not the only way to boost immunization”: an editorial from Nature
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“For the Herd’s Sake, Vaccinate" by Steven L. Weinreb
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Holi Festival
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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.
Societal division and the future of the country are sources of deep anxiety for 62% and 75% of adults respectively.
From Salon • May 28, 2026
Societal pressures may be one reason for the change.
From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026
Societal problems are very much on Tynion's mind in his latest book, "Exquisite Corpses", which has sold 500,000 copies since its release in the United States last year.
From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026
Societal gains from technological change come from what the economist Joseph Schumpeter called “the wave of creative destruction.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026
Societal This chapter will concentrate on the harmful social effects of innumeracy, with particular emphasis on the conflict between society and the individual.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
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.
