social environment

American  

noun

Sociology.

1. the environment developed by humans as contrasted with the natural environment; society as a whole, especially in its relation to the individual.

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Usage

What is a social environment? A person’s social environment is their society and all surroundings influenced in some way by humans. It includes all relationships, institutions, culture, and physical structures. The natural environment is the natural world around us: the ground, the trees, the air. The social environment is, collectively, all of the things that humans have overlaid on top of our world: our personal and societal relationships, our institutions, our cultures, and our physical surroundings—all of the aspects and products of human activity and interaction. Sociologists, health researchers, and others study how the social environment shapes who we are and how we live, especially how individuals are affected by such factors.

Example Sentences

That all creates an "aspirational living environment" that stands "in stark contrast to the institutional atmosphere often associated with older people's housing", Riba said.

From BBC • Oct. 16, 2025

Overpopulation is scientifically defined as a state where you start destroying your living environment.

From Salon • Nov. 30, 2024

In contrast, they rarely mentioned their immediate living environment, such as in the garden, on the balcony or in the apartment.

From Science Daily • May 8, 2024

Designing the living environment of the water characters was a little easier, the production designer Don Shank said in a video call.

From New York Times • Jun. 20, 2023

This ferment is not alive, nor does it need any living environment for its action.

From The Story of the Living Machine A Review of the Conclusions of Modern Biology in Regard to the Mechanism Which Controls the Phenomena of Living Activity by Conn, H. W. (Herbert William)