social

[soh-shuh l] /ˈsoʊ ʃəl/
adjective
1.
pertaining to, devoted to, or characterized by friendly companionship or relations:
a social club.
2.
seeking or enjoying the companionship of others; friendly; sociable; gregarious.
3.
of, pertaining to, connected with, or suited to polite or fashionable society:
a social event.
4.
living or disposed to live in companionship with others or in a community, rather than in isolation:
People are social beings.
5.
of or pertaining to human society, especially as a body divided into classes according to status:
social rank.
6.
involved in many social activities:
We're so busy working, we have to be a little less social now.
7.
of or pertaining to the life, welfare, and relations of human beings in a community:
social problems.
8.
noting or pertaining to activities designed to remedy or alleviate certain unfavorable conditions of life in a community, especially among the poor.
9.
pertaining to or advocating socialism.
10.
Digital Technology. noting or pertaining to online technologies, activities, etc., that promote companionship or communication with friends and other personal contacts:
social websites such as Facebook; the use of social software to share expertise.
See also social media.
11.
Zoology. living habitually together in communities, as bees or ants.
Compare solitary (def 8).
12.
Botany. growing in patches or clumps.
13.
Rare. occurring or taking place between allies or confederates.
noun
14.
a social gathering or party, especially of or as given by an organized group:
a church social.
15.
Digital Technology. social-networking websites and applications; social media:
photos posted to social.
Origin
1555-65; < Latin sociālis, equivalent to soci(us) partner, comrade + -ālis -al1
Related forms
socially, adverb
socialness, noun
hypersocial, adjective
hypersocially, adverb
intersocial, adjective
nonsocial, adjective
nonsocially, adverb
nonsocialness, noun
oversocial, adjective
oversocially, adverb
presocial, adjective
pseudosocial, adjective
pseudosocially, adverb
unsocial, adjective
unsocially, adverb
Examples from the web for social
  • Before people began making their lives public on social networks, retailers had to figure out their likes more indirectly.
  • Much more important from the artistic standpoint were the comedies proceeding by means of social satire.
  • The guest who sits on and on, unless earnestly pressed to do so, is wanting in tact and social sense.
  • Bees either focus on gathering nectar or on gathering pollen depending on demand, especially in social species.
  • O century in recorded history has experienced so many social transformations and such radical ones as the twentieth century.
  • For messages of social responsibility to work, consistency and commitment are key.
  • The chemical often referred to as the bonding hormone has already been shown to affect the social skills of people with autism.
  • The loneliness and social isolation, if your workplace even partly filled that need, if you have no family for moral support.
  • Certainly, there are private equity deals--and maybe firms--that don't add social value.
  • But he also itched to uncover how the basic workings of the human brain shape social behavior.
British Dictionary definitions for social

social

/ˈsəʊʃəl/
adjective
1.
living or preferring to live in a community rather than alone
2.
denoting or relating to human society or any of its subdivisions
3.
of, relating to, or characteristic of the experience, behaviour, and interaction of persons forming groups
4.
relating to or having the purpose of promoting companionship, communal activities, etc: a social club
5.
relating to or engaged in social services: a social worker
6.
relating to or considered appropriate to a certain class of society, esp one thought superior
7.
(esp of certain species of insects) living together in organized colonies: social bees Compare solitary (sense 6)
8.
(of plant species) growing in clumps, usually over a wide area
noun
9.
an informal gathering, esp of an organized group, to promote companionship, communal activity, etc
Derived Forms
socially, adverb
socialness, noun
Word Origin
C16: from Latin sociālis companionable, from socius a comrade
Word Origin and History for social
adj.

late 15c., "devoted to or relating to home life;" 1560s as "living with others," from Middle French social (14c.) and directly from Latin socialis "of companionship, of allies; united, living with others; of marriage, conjugal," from socius "companion, ally," probably originally "follower," from PIE *sokw-yo-, suffixed form of root *sekw- (1) "to follow," and thus related to sequi "to follow" (see sequel). Cf. Old English secg, Old Norse seggr "companion," which seem to have been formed on the same notion). Related: Socially.

Sense of "characterized by friendliness or geniality" is from 1660s. Meaning "living or liking to live with others; companionable, disposed to friendly intercourse" is from 1720s. Meaning "of or pertaining to society as a natural condition of human life" first attested 1695, in Locke. Sense of "pertaining to fashionable society" is from 1873.

Social climber is from 1893; social work is 1890; social worker 1904. Social drink(ing) first attested 1976. Social studies as an inclusive term for history, geography, economics, etc., is attested from 1916. Social security "system of state support for needy citizens" is attested from 1908. Social butterfly is from 1867, in figurative reference to "flitting."

Social contract (1849) ultimately is from Rousseau. Social Darwinism attested from 1887. Social engineering attested from 1899. Social science is from 1811. In late 19c. newspapers, social evil is "prostitution." Social justice is attested by 1718; social network by 1971; social networking by 1984.

n.

"friendly gathering," 1870, from social (adj.). In late 17c. it meant "a companion, associate."