friendly society

British

noun

US term: benefit society. an association of people who pay regular dues or other sums in return for old-age pensions, sickness benefits, etc

"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

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 interviews, Taiwanese pointed to universal healthcare, an open and friendly society, freedom of expression and convenience in daily life as other potential contributors to local happiness.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2025

Walters points to the popularity of films such as The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and action blockbuster Red or The Expendables as evidence in the shift towards a more grey friendly society.

From The Guardian • Aug. 21, 2014

The friendly society has 927,000 child trust fundholders, whose funds are currently outsourced to the Capita for management.

From The Guardian • Jul. 11, 2012

Class 8, “deposit friendly societies,” combine the characteristics of a savings bank with those of a friendly society.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 2 "French Literature" to "Frost, William" by Various

Addison's three years of foreign travel, and the friendly society of the highest and best wherever he journeyed, had caused him to blossom out into a most exceptional man.

From Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great - Volume 05 Little Journeys to the Homes of English Authors by Hubbard, Elbert

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