society

American  

[suh-sahy-i-tee] / səˈsaɪ ɪ ti /

noun

• societies
  plural

1. an organized group of persons associated together for religious, benevolent, cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purposes.

   Synonyms:

   company, brotherhood, fraternity, fellowship, association

2. a body of individuals living as members of a community; community.

3. the body of human beings generally, associated or viewed as members of a community.

   the evolution of human society.

4. a highly structured system of human organization for large-scale community living that normally furnishes protection, continuity, security, and a national identity for its members.

   American society.

5. such a system characterized by its dominant economic class or form.

   middle-class society;

   industrial society.

6. those with whom one has companionship.

7. companionship; company.

   to enjoy the society of good friends.

   Synonyms:

   fellowship

8. the social life of wealthy, prominent, or fashionable persons.

9. the social class that comprises such persons.

10. the condition of those living in companionship with others, or in a community, rather than in isolation.

11. Biology. a closely integrated group of social organisms of the same species exhibiting division of labor.

12. Ecclesiastical. ecclesiastical society.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of elegant society.

   a society photographer.

society British  

/ səˈsaɪətɪ /

noun

1. the totality of social relationships among organized groups of human beings or animals

2. a system of human organizations generating distinctive cultural patterns and institutions and usually providing protection, security, continuity, and a national identity for its members

3. such a system with reference to its mode of social and economic organization or its dominant class

   middle-class society

4. those with whom one has companionship

5. an organized group of people associated for some specific purpose or on account of some common interest

   a learned society

6. 1. the privileged class of people in a community, esp as considered superior or fashionable

   2. ( as modifier )

      a society woman

7. the social life and intercourse of such people

   to enter society as a debutante

8. companionship; the fact or state of being together with someone else

   I enjoy her society

9. ecology a small community of plants within a larger association

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society Idioms  

1. see under mutual admiration society.

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Synonym Usage

See circle.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsociety
  noun
• subsociety
  noun
• undersociety
  noun
• intersociety
  adjective
• societyless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• societies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of society

First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French societe, from Latin societās, equivalent to soci(us) “partner, comrade” + -etās, variant of -itās -ity ( def. ) after a vowel

Explanation

The noun society refers to people living in social order. Unless you are a reclusive person, you are a part of society in some way or another. Society can also refer to fashionable elite, the "beau monde" or "smart set." An organization or club formed around a common interest is sometimes also called a society. To add to its mystique, this type of society might create special rules, greetings, or handshakes. Certain national societies that may have branches in your community include the Elks Lodge or the National Association of Professional Women.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

society societies

Such facilities provide "the digital intellectual capacity to support your researchers and students and society and industries and startups," Huang said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

Flash forward another decade and it remains to be seen whether maternal mental healthcare — including the central question of how American society deals with mothers in extremis — has evolved.

From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026

The past half-decade of lofty A.I. statements has come without many consequences, because when they’ve been wrong, they’ve been wrong in ways that seem good for society.

From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026

"This has been a long-running issue within Scottish society," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

No land site could offer such a vivid picture of Tudor society as it actually was.”

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

But experience since 2022, “and a century of strategic bombing before that, say sustained air attack hardens societies rather than breaking them, and there is nothing in the Ukrainian data suggesting otherwise,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Over several generations, government programs assumed functions previously performed by families, churches, mutual-aid societies, fraternal organizations and local charities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Over 50 UK banks and building societies are signed up.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Features such as stingers, specialized nesting behaviors and other biological traits may have created conditions that made cooperation more advantageous and helped sophisticated insect societies emerge again and again.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026

River valleys of the southwestern United States eventually came to support irrigation agriculture and complex societies, but only after many of the developments on which those societies rested had been imported from Mexico.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• association
• civilization
• community
• company
• culture
• humanity
• nation
• population
• public
• world