social science

American  

noun

1. the study of society and social behavior.

2. a science or field of study, as history, economics, etc., dealing with an aspect of society or forms of social activity.

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social science British  

noun

1. the study of society and of the relationship of individual members within society, including economics, history, political science, psychology, anthropology, and sociology

2. any of these subjects studied individually

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social science Scientific  

/ sō′shəl /

1. Any of various disciplines that study human society and social relationships, including sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, political science, and history.

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social science Cultural  

1. The study of how groups of people behave, often in an effort to predict how they will behave in the future. The social sciences include economics, anthropology, sociology, political science, and aspects of psychology and history.

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Other Word Forms

• social scientist
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of social science

First recorded in 1775–85

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

social science

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

Among these workers, the district has issued “non-renewal notices” to 291 with teaching credentials, including 181 elementary teachers, and, at the middle and high level, 15 English teachers and 45 social science teachers.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026

Trained on source data ranging from social science to scripture, the app aims to offer rational answers to questions such as “Is there evidence of life after death?”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

Decades of social science research shows that poverty — especially intergenerational poverty — is driven largely by structural and institutional forces beyond an individual’s control.

From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2025

There were volumes of Afrocentric history like the ones that are sold on the sidewalk in downtown Brooklyn, social science primers, and an academic survey of perceptions of race over the years.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

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Related Words

• business
• finance

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