societal

[suh-sahy-i-tl]

adjective

1. noting or pertaining to large social groups, or to their activities, customs, etc.

societal

/ səˈsaɪətəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to society, esp human society or social relations

Other Word Forms

• societally adverb
• antisocietal adjective
• antisocietally adverb
• intersocietal adjective
• nonsocietal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of societal¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; societ(y) + -al ¹

Example Sentences

It’s sort of just like taking ownership over this is the role that we play in things societally, and we get to choose the things that we want to talk about.

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Add “therapists who help patients through dolphin encounters” to the federal bureaucracy’s list of societal outlaws.

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The motivations for septuagenarian entrepreneurs include desiring autonomy, pursuing meaningful projects and addressing societal needs.

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Executives said they wanted to help speed societal change, were protecting employees and were worried by potential business declines.

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Laqua regrets getting his Columbia University degree, he said, because he wasn’t solving societal problems in class.

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