social

English

Etymology

From Middle French social, from Latin sociālis (“of or belonging to a companion or companionship or association, social”), from socius (“a companion, fellow, partner, associate, ally”), from sequor (“follow”). Cognate with English seg (“man, companion, fellow”). More at seg.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /səʊʃl̩/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊʃəl

Noun

social (plural socials)

1. A festive gathering to foster introductions.

   They organized a social at the dance club to get people to know each other.

2. (Canadian Prairies) A dance held to raise money for a couple to be married.
3. (Britain, colloquial) (with definite article) Abbreviation of social security, referring to the UK state welfare system, or of related terms such as Social Security Office or Social Security Benefit.

   Fred hated going down to the social to sign on.

4. (US, colloquial) Abbreviation of social security number.

   What's your social?

5. (dated, Ireland) A dinner dance event, usually held annually by a company or sporting club.
6. (Canada) Clipping of social studies.

Translations

festive gathering to foster introductions

• Finnish: tutustumistilaisuus

short for social security benefit

• Finnish: sossu (fi)

• Norwegian: sosialen

short for social security number

• Finnish: sotu (fi), hetu (fi)

Adjective

social (comparative more social, superlative most social)

1. Being extroverted or outgoing.

   James is a very social guy; he knows lots of people.

2. Of or relating to society.
   • 2012 January 1, Donald Worster, “A Drier and Hotter Future”, in American Scientist^[1], volume 100, number 1, page 70:

     Phoenix and Lubbock are both caught in severe drought, and it is going to get much worse. We may see many such [dust] storms in the decades ahead, along with species extinctions, radical disturbance of ecosystems, and intensified social conflict over land and water. Welcome to the Anthropocene, the epoch when humans have become a major geological and climatic force.

   Teresa feels uncomfortable in certain social situations.

   Unemployment is a social problem.

3. (Internet) Relating to social media or social networks.

   social gaming

4. (rare) Relating to a nation's allies (compare the Social War)
5. (botany, zoology) Cooperating or growing in groups.

   a social insect

Antonyms

• antisocial
• unsocial
• asocial

Derived terms

Terms derived from social (adjective)

• biosocial
• parasocial
• presocial
• pseudosocial
• psychosocial
• quasisocial
• semisocial
• social butterfly
• social capital
• social class
• social climber
• social cohesion
• social collaboration
• social collapse

• social commentary
• social conscience
• social conservative
• social construct
• social democrat
• social entrepreneurship
• social function
• social grace
• social ladder
• social life
• social media
• social mobility
• social network
• social outcast

• social psychology
• social safety net
• social security
• social science
• social status
• social studies
• social trading
• social work
• social worker
• sociable
• socialist
• subsocial

Related terms

• sociality
• societal

Translations

extroverted or outgoing

• Czech: společenský (cs)
• Finnish: ulospäinsuuntautunut, ekstrovertti (fi), sosiaalinen (fi)
• Galician: social m, f
• German: kontaktfreudig (de), gesellig (de)
• Greek: κοινωνικός (el) m (koinonikós)
• Hungarian: társasági (hu), szociális (hu)
• Italian: sociale (it), socievole (it), estroverso (it)
• Norwegian: sosial (no)

• Polish: towarzyski (pl) m
• Portuguese: social (pt)
• Russian: общи́тельный (ru) (obščítelʹnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: sòisealta, caidreamhach
• Swedish: social (sv)
• Tagalog: ulnungin
• Telugu: సాంఘిక (sāṃghika)

relating to society

• Arabic: مُجْتَمَعِيّ‎ (mujtamaʿiyy)
• Asturian: social
• Bashkir: социаль (sotsial’)
• Catalan: social (ca)
• Czech: společenský (cs) m, sociální (cs)
• Dutch: sociaal (nl), maatschappelijk (nl)
• Esperanto: sociala
• Finnish: yhteiskunnallinen (fi), yhteiskunta- (fi), sosiaalinen (fi), sosiaali- (fi)
• French: social (fr)
• Galician: social
• German: sozial (de), Sozial-, gesellschaftlich (de)
• Greek: κοινωνικός (el) m (koinonikós)
• Hungarian: társadalmi (hu), szociális (hu)
• Italian: sociale (it)

• Norwegian: sosial (no)
• Persian: اجتماعی‎ (fa) (ejtemâï), سوسیال‎ (fa) (sosiâl)
• Polish: społeczny (pl) m
• Portuguese: social (pt)
• Romanian: social (ro) m, n
• Russian: социа́льный (ru) (sociálʹnyj), обще́ственный (ru) (obščéstvennyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: sòisealta
• Sicilian: suciali
• Spanish: social (es)
• Swedish: social (sv)
• Tagalog: panlipunan, ulnungin, ulnayin (social studies), ulnayanin
• Telugu: సాంఘికము (sāṃghikamu)
• Turkish: toplumsal (tr), sosyal (tr)

internet: relating to social media or social networks

• Bashkir: социаль (sotsial’)
• Finnish: sosiaalinen (fi)

• Portuguese: social (pt)

relating to a nation's allies

• Portuguese: social (pt)

zoology: cooperating in groups

• Finnish: yhteiskunta- (fi)

• Portuguese: social (pt)

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923 in Project Gutenberg: moral · mighty · Hart · #922: social · shown · escape · Mr

Further reading

• social in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• social in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

---

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin sociālis.

Adjective

social (epicene, plural sociales)

1. social

---

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin sociālis.

Adjective

social (masculine and feminine plural socials)

1. social

Derived terms

• socialitzar
• socialment

---

French

Etymology

From Latin sociālis (“of or belonging to a companion, companionship or association, social”), from socius (“a companion, ally”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɔ.sjal/
• (Paris)

  (file)

• Homophones: sociale, sociales
• Hyphenation: so‧cial

Adjective

social (feminine singular sociale, masculine plural sociaux, feminine plural sociales)

1. social, related to society, community

   Un devoir social.

   A social obligation.

2. social, living in society

   l'homme est un animal social.

   Man is a social animal.

3. mundane, related to social life

   Était-ce parce que la vie sociale de Gilberte devait présenter les mêmes contrastes que celle de Swann ? (Marcel Proust, Fugitive, 1922)

Synonyms

• grégaire

Antonyms

• antisocial
• asocial

Derived terms

• socialement
• socialisant
• socialisation
• socialiser
• socialisme
• socialiste
• socialité
• social-démocrate
• social-démocratie
• socialo

Related terms

• sociétaire
• sociétal
• société
• socio-

Noun

social m (plural sociaux)

1. action intended to make society work better

   faire du social.

Further reading

• “social” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

---

Galician

Etymology

From Latin sociālis.

Adjective

social m, f (plural sociais)

1. social

Derived terms

• socializar
• socialmente

---

Middle French

Etymology

First known attestation 1355, borrowing from Latin sociālis.

Adjective

social m (feminine singular sociale, masculine plural sociaulx, feminine plural sociales)

1. allied (on the same side)
2. social (tending to spend time with others)

Descendants

• English: social (borrowed)
• French: social

References

• (fr) Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (social, supplement)

---

Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin sociālis.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /su.ˈsjaɫ/
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /so.ˈsjaw/

Adjective

social m, f (plural sociais, comparable)

1. social (relating to society)
2. (business) social (relating to business firms)
3. social; outgoing; extroverted
4. (ecology) social (living in large groups)
5. for use by the residents of an apartment block, as opposed to maintenance workers or deliverymen

   Elevador social.

   Residents’ lift.

Synonyms

• (outgoing): sociável, extrovertido

Noun

social m f (plural sociais)

1. (Brazil, informal) a small party between close people or friends

---

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowing from French social.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌso.t͡ʃiˈal/

Adjective

social m, n (feminine singular socială, masculine plural sociali, feminine and neuter plural sociale)

1. social (of or relating to society)

---

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin sociālis (“of or belonging to a companion, companionship or association, social”), from socius (“a companion, ally”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [so̞θi.äl]

Adjective

social (plural sociales)

1. social

Derived terms

• antisocial

---

Swedish

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

social

1. (not comparable) social, pertaining to living conditions and society (of an issue)
2. social, kind, friendly, welcoming (of a person)

Declension

Inflection of social
Indefinite/attributive	Positive	Comparative	Superlative2
Common singular	social	mer social	mest social
Neuter singular	socialt	mer socialt	mest socialt
Plural	sociala	mer sociala	mest sociala
Definite	Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Masculine singular1	sociale	mer sociale	mest sociale
All	sociala	mer sociala	mest sociala
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine. 2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in an attributive role.

Related terms

• antisocial
• asocial
• socialbidrag
• socialfall
• socialisering
• socialism
• socialist
• socialkontor