Adjacent Words

Social definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SO'CIAL, a. [L. socialis, from socius, companion.]
1. Pertaining to society; relating to men living in society. or to the publice as an aggregate body; as social interests or concerns; social pleasures; social benefits; social happiness; social duties. True self-love and social are the same.
2. Ready or disposed to mix in friendly converse; companionable. Withers, adieu? yet not with thee remove thy martial spirit or thy social love.
3. Consisting in union or mutual converse.
4. Disposed to unite in society. Man is a social being.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: relating to human society and its members; "social institutions"; "societal evolution"; "societal forces"; "social legislation" [syn: social, societal]
2: living together or enjoying life in communities or organized groups; "a human being is a social animal"; "mature social behavior" [ant: unsocial]
3: relating to or belonging to or characteristic of high society; "made fun of her being so social and high-toned"; "a social gossip colum"; "the society page"
4: composed of sociable people or formed for the purpose of sociability; "a purely social club"; "the church has a large social hall"; "a social director"
5: tending to move or live together in groups or colonies of the same kind; "ants are social insects"
6: marked by friendly companionship with others; "a social cup of coffee" n
1: a party of people assembled to promote sociability and communal activity [syn: sociable, social, mixer]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Latin socialis, from socius companion, ally, associate; akin to Old English secg man, companion, Latin sequi to follow — more at sue Date: 14th century 1. involving allies or confederates <the Social War between the Athenians and their allies> 2. a. marked by or passed in pleasant companionship with one's friends or associates <leads a very full social life> b. sociable c. of, relating to, or designed for sociability <a social club> 3. of or relating to human society, the interaction of the individual and the group, or the welfare of human beings as members of society <social institutions> 4. a. tending to form cooperative and interdependent relationships with others of one's kind ; gregarious b. living and breeding in more or less organized communities <social insects> c. of a plant tending to grow in groups or masses so as to form a pure stand 5. a. of, relating to, or based on rank or status in a particular society <a member of our social set> b. of, relating to, or characteristic of the upper classes c. formal 6. being such in social situations <a social drinker> II. noun Date: 1870 sociable

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & n. --adj. 1 of or relating to society or its organization. 2 concerned with the mutual relations of human beings or of classes of human beings. 3 living in organized communities; unfitted for a solitary life (man is a social animal). 4 a needing companionship; gregarious, interdependent. b cooperative; practising the division of labour. 5 existing only as a member of a compound organism. 6 a (of insects) living together in organized communities. b (of birds) nesting near each other in communities. 7 (of plants) growing thickly together and monopolizing the ground they grow on. --n. a social gathering, esp. one organized by a club, congregation, etc. Phrases and idioms: social anthropology the comparative study of peoples through their culture and kinship systems. social climber derog. a person anxious to gain a higher social status. social contract (or compact) an agreement to cooperate for social benefits, e.g. by sacrificing some individual freedom for State protection. social credit the economic theory that the profits of industry should be distributed to the general public. social democracy a socialist system achieved by democratic means. social democrat a person who advocates social democracy. social order the network of human relationships in society. social realism the expression of social or political views in art. social science a the scientific study of human society and social relationships. b a branch of this (e.g. politics or economics). social scientist a student of or expert in the social sciences. social secretary a person who makes arrangements for the social activities of a person or organization. social security State assistance to those lacking in economic security and welfare, e.g. the aged and the unemployed. social service philanthropic activity. social services services provided by the State for the community, esp. education, health, and housing. social war hist. a war fought between allies. social work work of benefit to those in need of help or welfare, esp. done by specially trained personnel. social worker a person trained to do social work. Derivatives: sociality n. socially adv. Etymology: F social or L socialis allied f. socius friend

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Social So"cial, a. [L. socialis, from socius a companion; akin to sequi to follow: cf. F. social. See Sue to follow.] 1. Of or pertaining to society; relating to men living in society, or to the public as an aggregate body; as, social interest or concerns; social pleasure; social benefits; social happiness; social duties. ``Social phenomena.'' --J. S. Mill. 2. Ready or disposed to mix in friendly converse; companionable; sociable; as, a social person. 3. Consisting in union or mutual intercourse. Best with thyself accompanied, seek'st not Social communication. --Milton. 4. (Bot.) Naturally growing in groups or masses; -- said of many individual plants of the same species. 5. (Zo["o]l.) (a) Living in communities consisting of males, females, and neuters, as do ants and most bees. (b) Forming compound groups or colonies by budding from basal processes or stolons; as, the social ascidians. Social science, the science of all that relates to the social condition, the relations and institutions which are involved in man's existence and his well-being as a member of an organized community; sociology. It concerns itself with questions of the public health, education, labor, punishment of crime, reformation of criminals, and the like. Social whale (Zo["o]l.), the blackfish. The social evil, prostitution. Syn: Sociable; companionable; conversible; friendly; familiar; communicative; convival; festive.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. Social means relating to society or to the way society is organized. ...the worst effects of unemployment, low pay and other social problems. ...long-term social change. ...changing social attitudes. ...the tightly woven social fabric of small towns. ...research into housing and social policy. ADJ: ADJ n • socially Let's face it–drinking is a socially acceptable habit. ...one of the most socially deprived areas in Britain. ADV: ADV adj/-ed 2. Social means relating to the status or rank that someone has in society. Higher education is unequally distributed across social classes... The guests came from all social backgrounds... ADJ: ADJ n • socially For socially ambitious couples this is a problem. ...socially disadvantaged children... ADV: usu ADV adj/-ed, also ADV with cl 3. Social means relating to leisure activities that involve meeting other people. We ought to organize more social events... ADJ: ADJ n • socially We have known each other socially for a long time... The two groups rarely meet socially... ADV: usu ADV with v, also ADV with cl 4. Social animals live in groups and do things together. ...social insects like bees and ants. ADJ: ADJ n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Civil, civic. 2. Companionable, sociable, conversable, communicative, friendly, familiar, affable, genial, neighborly. 3. Convivial, festive.

Moby Thesaurus

affable, affair, amiable, amusing, associated, associational, at home, civic, civil, clubbable, clubbish, clubby, coalitional, collective, collectivistic, common, communal, communicative, communistic, community, commutual, companionable, companionate, compatible, congenial, conjoint, convivial, cooperative, cordial, cosmopolitan, courteous, entertaining, fit for society, fond of society, friendly, gathering, general, genial, get-together, gracious, gregarious, group, hospitable, in common, international, joint, levee, matinee, mutual, national, organizational, pleasant, pleasurable, popular, public, reception, reciprocal, reunion, salon, sexual, sociable, social affair, social gathering, social-minded, socialistic, societal, society, soiree, state, supranational, urbane, venereal, wake