social

English

Wikipedia

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”).

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. (UK, colloquial) Abbreviation of social security benefit., the UK government department responsible for administering such welfare benefit, for its employees.

   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.

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”, American Scientist, 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 (cf. the Social War)
5. (zoology) Cooperating 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

Translations

extroverted or outgoing

• Czech: společenský (cs)
• Finnish: ulospäinsuuntautunut, ekstrovertti (fi), sosiaalinen (fi)
• German: kontaktfreudig
• Greek: κοινωνικός (el) m (koinonikós)
• Hungarian: társasági (hu), szociális (hu)
• Italian: sociale, socievole (it), estroverso (it)

• Norwegian: sosial (no)
• Polish: towarzyski (pl) m
• Russian: общительный (ru) (obščítel'nyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: sòisealta, caidreamhach
• Telugu: సాంఘిక (samghika)

relating to society

• Arabic: مجتمعي (mujtama3iy)
• Asturian: social
• 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-
• Greek: κοινωνικός (el) m (koinonikós)

• Hungarian: társadalmi (hu), szociális (hu)
• Italian: sociale
• Norwegian: sosial (no)
• Persian: اجتماعی (fa) (ejtemâï), سوسیال (fa) (sosiâl)
• Polish: społeczny (pl) m
• Portuguese: social (pt)
• Romanian: social (ro) m, n
• Russian: социальный (ru) (sociál'nyj), общественный (ru) (obščéstvennyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: sòisealta
• Spanish: social (es)
• Turkish: toplumsal (tr), sosyal (tr)

internet: relating to social media or social networks

• Finnish: sosiaalinen (fi)

relating to a nation's allies

zoology: cooperating in groups

• Finnish: yhteiskunta- (fi)

Statistics

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

External links

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

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Asturian

Etymology

From Latin sociālis.

Adjective

social (epicene, plural sociales)

1. social

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Catalan

Etymology

From Latin sociālis.

Adjective

social m, f (masculine and feminine plural socials)

1. social

Derived terms

• socialitzar
• socialment

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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/

• Audio (France, Paris)

  (file)

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

Adjective

social m (feminine 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 socials)

1. action intended to make society work better

   faire du social.

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Galician

Etymology

From Latin sociālis.

Adjective

social m, f (plural sociais)

1. social

Derived terms

• socializar
• socialmente

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Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin sociālis.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /su.ˈsjaɫ/

Adjective

social m, f (plural sociais; comparable)

1. social

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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 m, f (plural sociales)

1. social

Derived terms

• antisocial

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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

Declension of social

Inflections of social Comparation by mer and mest
Indefinite singular	Common	social
	Neuter	socialt
Definite singular	Masc.	sociale
	All	sociala
Plural		sociala

Related terms

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