social capital

[ soh-shuhl kap-i-tl ]

noun

, Sociology.

1. the interpersonal relationships, institutions, and other social assets of a society or group that can be used to gain advantage:

   the impact of social capital on productivity and economic well-being; the ways in which women accumulate social capital.

social capital

noun

1. the network of social connections that exist between people, and their shared values and norms of behaviour, which enable and encourage mutually advantageous social cooperation

Word History and Origins

Origin of social capital¹

First recorded in 1830–35

Example Sentences

Their work assesses whether the level of social capital in a community predicts the severity of the pandemic there.

From Washington Post

My sister-in-law has significantly more social capital than my husband.

From Washington Post

Yi says starting remotely makes it harder to build social capital and the relationships one needs to execute.

From Fortune

Communities that have high levels of social capital benefit in many ways.

From Freakonomics

They reaped the benefits of being chosen, both through social capital and through reproduction, and then they passed those traits to the next generation.

From Vox

And given Friedman's thesis, how will we muster the social capital to welcome all these strangers with open arms?

From The Daily Beast

In other words, the more social capital around you, the more likely you are to get out and vote.

From The Daily Beast

The growing size of the social capital implies a more general appreciation of the importance of future well-being.

From Project Gutenberg

Technical gains are the largest source of additions to the total amount of the social capital.

From Project Gutenberg

Increasing the rapidity of productive inventions only multiplies the additions made to the social capital.

From Project Gutenberg

In labouring for the augmentation of the social capital he would thus be securing an insurance for his old age.

From Project Gutenberg

There seems nothing left but wages and profits—and yet, there is capital, individual and social capital.

From Project Gutenberg