social

American  

[soh-shuhl] / ˈsoʊ ʃəl /

adjective

1. relating to, devoted to, or characterized by friendly companionship or relations.

   a social club.

2. seeking or enjoying the companionship of others; friendly; sociable; gregarious.

3. of, relating to, connected with, or suited to polite or fashionable society.

   a social event.

4. living or disposed to live in companionship with others or in a community, rather than in isolation.

   People are social beings.

5. of or relating to human society, especially as a body divided into classes according to status.

   social rank.

6. involved in many social activities.

   We're so busy working, we have to be a little less social now.

7. of or relating to the life, welfare, and relations of human beings in a community.

   social problems.

8. noting or relating to activities designed to remedy or alleviate certain unfavorable conditions of life in a community, especially among poor people.

9. relating to or advocating the theory or system of socialism.

10. Digital Technology. noting or relating to online technologies, activities, etc., that promote companionship or communication with friends and other personal contacts: the use of social software to share expertise.

    social websites such as Facebook;

    the use of social software to share expertise.

11. Zoology. living habitually together in communities, as bees or ants.

12. Botany. growing in patches or clumps.

13. Rare. occurring or taking place between allies or confederates.

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noun

• socials
  plural

1. a social gathering or party, especially of or as given by an organized group.

   a church social.

2. Digital Technology. social media.

   photos posted to social.

social British  

/ ˈsəʊʃəl /

adjective

1. living or preferring to live in a community rather than alone

2. denoting or relating to human society or any of its subdivisions

3. of, relating to, or characteristic of the experience, behaviour, and interaction of persons forming groups

4. relating to or having the purpose of promoting companionship, communal activities, etc

   a social club

5. relating to or engaged in social services

   a social worker

6. relating to or considered appropriate to a certain class of society, esp one thought superior

7. (esp of certain species of insects) living together in organized colonies Compare solitary

   social bees

8. (of plant species) growing in clumps, usually over a wide area

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noun

1. an informal gathering, esp of an organized group, to promote companionship, communal activity, etc

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• socialness
  noun
• hypersocial
  adjective
• intersocial
  adjective
• nonsocial
  adjective
• pseudosocial
  adjective
• unsocial
  adjective
• socially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• socials
  plural

Etymology

Origin of social

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, Middle French, from Latin sociālis, equivalent to soci(us) “partner, comrade, ally” (derivative of sequī “to follow”) + -ālis -al ¹

Explanation

If you are social, you like to be around people. A social butterfly is someone who is social or friendly with everyone, flitting from person to person, the way a butterfly might. The word social comes from the Latin socius meaning "friend." When you're being social, you're everyone's friend. Go to a social, or mixer, and you might make a lot of new friends. Stand in the corner pouting, however, and you're being anti-social. Humans are described as social beings — ones that tend to move or live in groups together, like penguins!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

social socials

People posted on social media, reporting "crazy queues" for the shuttle bus and blue flashing lights on the main road outside the stadium.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

And if people prefer a congenial bot over messy human relationships, they can lose social skills, become isolated, or even spiral.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Disability advocates hope the Paralympics can lead to improved access to social services and structures for people with disabilities during and after the Games.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

The site, which is currently almost completely demolished, is being renovated by social welfare group CAW Oost-Vlaanderen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

I didn’t have to be there when the social worker called him and told him what I reported; I knew the rage he felt, and I knew he felt I betrayed him.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Now, when Son left, Spurs didn't immediately lose millions of followers on their socials from Korea.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

“It was on all the socials and friends were sending me videos,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

"Ultimately these photos have been gathered from a National Police Bravery Award nomination by Hampshire Constabulary, posted by Hampshire Constabulary on their socials years ago," she said.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

During one of her last shows, she played tracks submitted by musicians from across the UK after putting a message out on socials.

From BBC ● Jan. 2, 2026

They were probably the self-sacrificing group, like the women at church socials who said, “No, you take the chicken breast. I’m just fine with the neck and gizzard, really.”

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

Related Words

• civil
• communal