societal

American  

[suh-sahy-i-tl] / səˈsaɪ ɪ tl /

adjective

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

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societal British  

/ səˈsaɪətəl /

adjective

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

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of societal

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

Example Sentences

At a time when rich Western nations see mass immigration as the font of societal ills, Dubai and other Gulf cities stand as exceptional beacons for foreign talent.

From The Wall Street Journal

"That is a societal choice and is one that I think we should be looking at really, very seriously," Sir Chris said.

From BBC

“I think from our vantage point, and just from a societal standpoint, anything that blurs the line between financial investing and gambling, especially for a young and vulnerable population, is really dangerous.”

From The Wall Street Journal

"There are some serious societal challenges that the party has to adapt to and the tools they're using are pretty traditional ones," Thompson said.

From Barron's

To his critics, he was a ruthless autocrat who steered the nation on a path of societal and economic isolation.

From The Wall Street Journal