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

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsəʊʃəl/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈsoʊ.ʃəl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊʃəl

Adjective

social (comparative more social, superlative most social)

1. Being extroverted or outgoing.

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

   • 1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chapter 1:

     Not ignoring what is good, I am quick to perceive a horror, and could still be social with it—would they let me—since it is but well to be on friendly terms with all the inmates of the place one lodges in.

2. Of or relating to society.
   • 2012 January, 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.

   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 (fi), ekstrovertti (fi), sosiaalinen (fi)
• Galician: social
• German: kontaktfreudig (de), gesellig (de)
• Greek: κοινωνικός (el) (koinonikós)
• Hungarian: társasági (hu), szociális (hu)
• Italian: sociale (it), socievole (it), estroverso (it)
• Norwegian: sosial (no)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Polish: towarzyski (pl)
• Portuguese: social (pt)
• Russian: общи́тельный (ru) (obščítelʹnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: sòisealta, caidreamhach
• Swedish: social (sv)
• Tagalog: ulnungin
• Telugu: సాంఘిక (sāṅghika)

relating to society

• Arabic: مُجْتَمَعِيّ (mujtamaʕiyy)
• Asturian: social
• Bashkir: социаль (sotsialʹ)
• Catalan: social (ca)
• Czech: společenský (cs), 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)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian: sosial (no)
• Occitan: social
• Persian: اجتماعی (fa) (ejtemâ'i), سوسیال (fa) (sosyâl)
• Polish: społeczny (pl)
• Portuguese: social (pt)
• Romanian: social (ro)
• 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 (sāṅghikamu)
• Turkish: toplumsal (tr), sosyal (tr)

internet: relating to social media or social networks

• Bashkir: социаль (sotsialʹ)
• Finnish: sosiaalinen (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: social (pt)

relating to a nation's allies

• Portuguese: social (pt)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

zoology: cooperating in groups

• Finnish: yhteiskunta- (fi)
• Portuguese: social (pt)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Tajik: иҷтимоӣ (tg) (ijtimoyī), ҷамъиятӣ (jamʾiyatī), ҷомеавӣ (jomeavī), сотсиалӣ (sotsialī)

Noun

social (countable and uncountable, 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. (British, colloquial, with definite article) Abbreviation of social security.

   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.
7. (Internet) Clipping of social media.
8. (Internet) A social media account.
   • 2019 August 29, “Cheeto Christ Stupid Czar”, Randy Rainbow (lyrics), Andrew Lloyd Webber (music)‎^[2]performed by Randy Rainbow:

     Close your mouth and delete all your socials tonight.

Translations

festive gathering to foster introductions

• Finnish: tutustumistilaisuus
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

short for social security benefit

• Finnish: sossu (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian: sosialen

short for social security number

• Finnish: sotu (fi), hetu (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

References

• “social”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “social”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “social”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present, retrieved 15 July 2017, reproduced from Collins English Dictionary, 10th edition, London: Collins, 2010, →ISBN.

Anagrams

• scolia

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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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [su.siˈal]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencian) [so.siˈal]

Adjective

social m or f (masculine and feminine plural socials)

1. social

Derived terms

• socialitzar
• socialment

Related terms

• soci

Further reading

• “social” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “social”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “social” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “social” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

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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/
• Hyphenation: so‧cial
• (Paris)

  (file)

• Homophones: sociale, sociales

Adjective

social (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
   • 1922, Marcel Proust, Fugitive:

     Était-ce parce que la vie sociale de Gilberte devait présenter les mêmes contrastes que celle de Swann ?

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

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 Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Galician

Etymology

From Latin sociālis.

Adjective

social m or f (plural sociais)

1. social

Derived terms

• socializar
• socialmente

Further reading

• “social”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, since 2012

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Italian

Etymology

Ellipsis of social network.

Noun

social m

1. social network
   • 2019 October 1, “Zuckerberg è pronto alla battaglia contro Warren e TikTok (e Facebook non perde utenti)”, in Corriere della Sera‎^[3]:

     TikTok è sia la prima piattaforma cinese a imporsi nel resto del mondo sia l’unico social a ottenere numeri finora inanellati solo da Menlo Park (500 milioni di utenti), eppure non sembra causare particolari grattacapi.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. (in the plural) social media

   postare sui social ― to post on social media

   • 2018 January 25, ““Un inconveniente tecnico”: il tweet di Trenord fa infuriare i social, poi le scuse”, in La Stampa‎^[4]:

     «Circolazione interrotta tra Treviglio e Milano a causa di un inconveniente tecnico a un treno»: è il tweet di Trenord delle 8.09 che ha fatto infuriare i social dopo il deragliamento a Seggiano di Pioltello.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

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Middle French

Etymology

First known attestation 1355, borrowed 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
• French: social

References

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

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Occitan

Etymology

From Latin sociālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [susjal]

Adjective

social m (feminine singular sociala, masculine plural socials, feminine plural socialas)

1. social (relating to society)

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Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin sociālis.

Pronunciation

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

Adjective

1. social (relating to society)
2. (business) social (relating to business firms)
3. social; outgoing; extroverted

   Synonyms: sociável, extrovertido

   Antonyms: anti-social, associal

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.

Derived terms

• anti-social
• associal
• socializar
• socialmente

 

Related terms

• sócio

Noun

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

Further reading

• Template:R:DAN

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Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French social.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌso.t͡ʃiˈal/

Adjective

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

1. social (of or relating to society)

Declension

Declension of social

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	social		socială	sociali	sociale
	definite	socialul		sociala	socialii	socialele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	social		sociale	sociali	sociale
	definite	socialului		socialei	socialilor	socialelor

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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): (Spain) /soˈθjal/ [soˈθjal]
• IPA^(key): (Latin America) /soˈsjal/ [soˈsjal]
• Hyphenation: so‧cial

Adjective

social m or f (masculine and feminine plural sociales)

1. social

Derived terms

• antisocial
• ciencia social
• resentimiento social
• socialmente

 

Further reading

• “social”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

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Swedish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sosiˈɑːl/, /soˈɧɑːl/

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

social (not comparable)

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	Positive	Comparative	Superlative2
Common singular	social	mer social	mest social
Neuter singular	socialt	mer socialt	mest socialt
Plural	sociala	mer sociala	mest sociala
Masculine plural3	sociale	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 the predicative. 3) Dated or archaic

Related terms

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

References

• social in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• social in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)