sociology
Americannoun
-
sociologies
plural
noun
Usage
What is sociology? Sociology is the study of human society and the social interactions and behavior of humans. Sociology is, generally speaking, the study of human interaction. How do people socialize? What happens when people live together? How are members of a group influencing each other? Why does someone become a king and someone else lives their whole life as a peasant? These are the kinds of questions a sociologist is interested in. Sociology is an incredibly broad science and often overlaps with other fields of study, such as psychology or economics. A sociologist may look at social groups on a large (macro) scale, such as studying the different societies of Asia, or may look at groups on a small (micro) scale, such as studying Brazilian teenagers or even a single town. As far as a sociologist is concerned, no person ever makes a decision without some influence from society or their social groups. Sociology isn’t just the study of people but more specifically the study of what happens when people are around each other.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of sociology
From the French word sociologie, dating back to 1835–45. See socio-, -logy
Explanation
Sociology is the study of human cultures, communities, and societies. Sociology attempts to explain how a society works, whether that society is a native tribe in the Amazon or an old folks’ home in Nebraska. Sociology is one of the social — sometimes called soft — sciences. It's the study of human actions and interactions. People who study sociology — sociologists — look at how people interact in groups and what kinds of religions, governments, schools, and other ways of life they create. While psychology looks mostly at individuals, sociology looks at people in groups.
Vocabulary lists containing sociology
Power Suffix: -ology
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A Raisin in the Sun
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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.
See Examples For:
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
The people leading health campaigns and creating and sharing messages should be trained in and have experience with health communication, which draws on behavioral science, sociology, and marketing.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026
In 2023, at age 38, he had been appointed to a professorship in sociology of education at the University of Cambridge, becoming the youngest Black professor in the institution’s 800-year history.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
It is currently reviewing the circumstances around his appointment as professor of sociology of education.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
In 1982, a sociology graduate student named Louise Farkas went to visit a number of nursing homes and residential hotels in New York City and Miami Beach.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
In her catalog essay, Ms. Semmelhack does a good job of surveying the history of sneakers and their associated sociologies.
From New York Times ● Jul. 9, 2015
My curiosity, in the case of Prince Jones, opened a world of newspaper clippings, histories, and sociologies.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
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.
