social contract

[ soh-shuhl kon-trakt ]

/ ˈsoʊ ʃəl ˈkɒn trækt /

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noun

the voluntary agreement among individuals by which, according to any of various theories, as of Hobbes, Locke, or Rousseau, organized society is brought into being and invested with the right to secure mutual protection and welfare or to regulate the relations among its members.

an agreement for mutual benefit between an individual or group and the government or community as a whole.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Also called so·cial com·pact

[soh-shuhl kom-pakt] /ˈsoʊ ʃəl ˈkɒm pækt/ .

Origin of social contract

First recorded in 1840–50

Words nearby social contract

Social Chapter, Social Charter, social class, social climber, social construct, social contract, social control, Social Credit, social dancing, Social Darwinism, social democracy

How to use social contract in a sentence

The social contract I’m talking about is about predistribution—investing early in everyone, especially those who are poor and deprived, and then using that to grow a more productive economy.
The Pandemic Laid Bare the World’s Inequities. A Top Economist on Why We Need a New Social Contract|Dan Stewart|August 12, 2021|Time
You’ve spent most of your life in multilateral institutions and yet your book is specifically about national social contracts.
The Pandemic Laid Bare the World’s Inequities. A Top Economist on Why We Need a New Social Contract|Dan Stewart|August 12, 2021|Time
Tax is one lever to rebuild social trust and the social contract between a state and its citizens.
How a New Deal for Global Taxation Might Save Democracy|Malcolm Turnbull|August 11, 2021|Time
Now, a growing community of voices is seeking a new social contract between the tech industry and citizens.
Data fairness: A new social contract for the 21st century economy|MIT Technology Review Insights|May 26, 2021|MIT Technology Review

It’s time to update our economic system and our social contract to better accommodate the changing nature of work.
Eight in Ten Americans are Concerned About Partisanship. Here's How 'The Unum Test' Can Reunite America|Jonathan Haidt|April 13, 2021|Time
Recidivism is part of the social contract in this society of freedom and justice for all.
The Guantanamo Exception|Philip Mudd|December 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
My point, of course, is that a democratic Jewish state is a social contract in the Hebrew language—no more, no less.
Women: Talk To The Wall|Bernard Avishai|June 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
As he puts it: “The social contract established during the New Deal era was on the line.”
Why Obama Is No FDR: The Failure of a Progressive Movement|Harvey J. Kaye|June 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But part of the underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along.
Why "You Didn't Build That" Stings the Successful|David Frum|July 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Instead, he began talking about John Rawls and John Locke, a social contract between the government and the governed.
The Palestinian Right to Dream|Peter Beinart|May 25, 2011|DAILY BEAST
I am to be introduced to the greatest sower of ideas of the century, the author of the Social Contract, Rousseau.
Balsamo, The Magician|Alexander Dumas
The aristocracy encouraged dissertations on the social contract, the rights of man, and the equality of citizens.
Introduction to the Science of Sociology|Robert E. Park
When he wrote of the Social Contract, he did so rather to excuse breaches of the covenant than to emphasize its necessity.
The Outline of History: Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind|Herbert George Wells
I only ask you to admit that if such things fall below the comfort of barbarism, the social contract is annulled.
The Ball and The Cross|G.K. Chesterton
He had set fire to the building in accordance with the strict principles of the social contract.
The Ball and The Cross|G.K. Chesterton

British Dictionary definitions for social contract

social contract

social compact

noun

(in the theories of Locke, Hobbes, Rousseau, and others) an agreement, entered into by individuals, that results in the formation of the state or of organized society, the prime motive being the desire for protection, which entails the surrender of some or all personal liberties

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