social science
Americannoun
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the study of society and social behavior.
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a science or field of study, as history, economics, etc., dealing with an aspect of society or forms of social activity.
noun
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the study of society and of the relationship of individual members within society, including economics, history, political science, psychology, anthropology, and sociology
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any of these subjects studied individually
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of social science
First recorded in 1775–85
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This class, which is significantly less rigorous than AP Computer Science, does seem to enroll more girls and more black and Hispanic students and is more like a social science.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Many humanities and social science majors — pursued by students with a passion for sociology, history, art, music and English — tend to earn far less, around $40,000 to $60,000, the data show.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
He became crown prince in 1957, and studied social science, history and economics at Balliol College in Oxford from 1960 to 1962.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
But as public policy and law and social science experts, we believe students aren’t protesting for a very simple reason: They are afraid.
From Salon ● May 28, 2026
To make a lesson integrated, it is necessary to include social science or history goals and objectives as well as musical information, goals and objectives.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.