social construct

American  

[soh-shuhl kon-struhkt] / ˈsoʊ ʃəl ˈkɒn strʌkt /

noun

social constructs plural

1. a complex concept or practice shared by a society or group, not arising from any natural or innate source but built on the assumptions upheld, usually tacitly, by its members.

   The Green Party supports the EU in viewing disability as a social construct and recognizes the well-established link between poverty and disability.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• social constructs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of social construct

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

The “Good Times” matriarch played by Esther Rolle was known for often telling people how it is and how it should have been, especially about that social construct called race.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 2023

That kind of points to something that was unmeasured—something about being in this social construct, of being categorized as Black or Hispanic in the U.S., that is contributing to this difference.

From Scientific American • Jun. 29, 2023

While researchers say sex generally refers to physiological characteristics and gender is more a social construct, when it comes to federal civil rights law, they are essentially the same.

From Reuters • May 19, 2023

Bed Bath is a story about calcification, sure, but it is also a story about money being a social construct and people spending it in ways that do not make sense.

From Slate • Apr. 24, 2023

“Ah, yes. I know it looks that way, friend, but let me explain. It’s a funny story, actually. My father is white and my mother is black and race is a social construct, so...”

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah