eusocial

American

[yoo-soh-shuhl] / yuˈsoʊ ʃəl /

adjective

Animal Behavior.

of or relating to a form of insect society, as that of ants, characterized by specialization of tasks and cooperative care of the young.

Other Word Forms

eusociality noun

Etymology

Origin of eusocial

First recorded in 1970–75; eu- + social

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.

The sociable, or eusocial, nature of naked mole rat communities means they're basically all siblings or cousins.

From Salon • May 11, 2025

Like bees, they are eusocial: they have a bewildering array of different forms and a single monarch, the Grand Lunar.

From Nature • Jul. 8, 2019

Honeybees are eusocial creatures, making them one of the most studied insects on the planet.

From The Guardian • Oct. 16, 2018

They are eusocial creatures—eusociality being the highest level of animal sociality recognized by sociobiologists, characterized by a division of reproductive labor between fertile and non-fertile castes, and by the collective care of the young.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 10, 2018

Prior to this, scientists had assumed eusocial behaviour, was restricted to insects and naked mole rats.

From Scientific American • Mar. 14, 2013

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