social

noun

A festive gathering to foster introductions.

(Canadian Prairies) A dance held to raise money, often held for a couple to be married.

(Internet, informal, countable) A social media account; the username or handle thereof, or a link thereto.

(Internet, informal, uncountable) Ellipsis of social media. [(uncountable) Applications or websites allowing users to share content and communicate with one another through the Internet.]

(US, colloquial) Ellipsis of social security number. [(US) A nine-digit number issued to citizens, permanent residents, and temporary (working) residents by the Social Security Administration under section 205(c)(2) of the Social Security Act, codified as 42 U.S.C. § 405(c)(2), introduced primarily to track people for taxation purposes, and in recent years serving as a de facto national identification number.]

(British, colloquial, with definite article) Ellipsis of social security. [A system whereby the state either through general or specific taxation provides various benefits to help ensure the wellbeing of its citizens.]

(Canada) Ellipsis of social studies. [The study of history, geography, civics, sociology, economics, and other social-science subjects, especially in primary and secondary school.]

(dated, Ireland) A dinner dance event, usually held annually by a company or sporting club.

adjective

Of or relating to society.

(Internet) Relating to social media or social networks.

Being extroverted or outgoing.

(biology) Cooperating or growing in groups.

(rare) Relating to a nation's allies.

Roots

sociussoci- · Latin · companion, ally

Synonyms for social

societaladj sociableadj gregariousadj clubbableadj communaladj societyn organizationaladj communityn companionableadj

Synonyms & related words for social

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of social — including societal, sociable, gregarious, clubbable, communal, society. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to social

Explore words related to social — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include subsocial, unsocially, nonsocial, sociality, psychosocial, prosocial, affiliative, asocial. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for social

Common synonyms for social include societal, sociable, gregarious, clubbable, communal, society, organizational, community — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does social come from?

The word social breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root soci-, from Latin socius (“companion, ally”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.