SOCIAL


Meaning of SOCIAL in English

I. ˈsōshəl adjective

Etymology: Latin socialis, from socius companion, ally, associate + -alis -al; akin to Old English secg man, follower, companion, Old Saxon segg, Old Norse seggr man, messenger, companion, Greek aossein to help, stand by, Sanskrit sakha companion, friend, Latin sequi to follow — more at sue

1. : involving allies or confederates

the Social War between the Athenians and their allies

2.

a. : marked by or passed in pleasant companionship with one's friends or associates

leads a very full social life

spent a relaxed social evening

: taken, enjoyed, or engaged in with friends or for the sake of companionship

social drinking

a social game of bridge

b. : sociable

difficult for him, although fundamentally a social character, to take any great pleasure in the company — Osbert Lancaster

having to drive home, and not feeling very social , I drank very little — Nigel Balchin

c. : composed of sociable persons or formed for the purpose of sociability

a purely social club

d. : of, relating to, or designed for sociability or sociable gatherings

the social director of the hotel

the church has a large social hall

3.

a. : forming or having a tendency to form cooperative and interdependent relationships with one's fellows : gregarious

man is a social creature … one of the aims of education, therefore, is to teach man how to adjust himself to community living — M.B.Smith

b. : living together and breeding in more or less organized communities

social insects are less individuals than standardized, interchangeable units — Ralph Linton

c. of a plant : present in large numbers wherever present at all in nature : tending to grow in groups or masses so as to form a more or less pure stand — used especially of forest trees

4.

a. : of or relating to human society

social institutions

the social implications of scientific progress

: of or relating to the interaction of the individual and the group

immature social behavior

b. : of, relating to, or concerned with the welfare of human beings as members of society

social legislation

the social question

c. Roman, civil, & Scots law : of or relating to an association, partnership, or corporation

5.

a. : of, relating to, or based on rank or status in a particular society or community

move in different social circles

did not accept him as their social equal

a member of his social set

b. : of, belonging to, or characteristic of the upper classes

a reactionary, solid, stuffy, and social — Rosemary Benét

made fun of her being so social and high-tone — Lillian Hellman

writes a column of social gossip

c. : formal

asked in a social voice, very deliberately, if she'd wakened me last night when she came in — Crary Moore

Synonyms:

gregarious , cooperative , convivial , companionable , hospitable : social now often indicates having to do with society in general as an interdependent group or as a phenomenon for study

the desire for removing human error, clearing human confusion, and diminishing human misery … — motives eminently such as are called social — Matthew Arnold

the social order

plans for social reorganization

In its older senses, still quite current, it describes easy pleasant conversational companionship with others conducted on the basis of friendship and equality and enjoyed for its own sake, without ulterior motive

if at times everyone is talking at once it is evidently because of the social desire to contribute to the conversation, rather than because of the unsocial disposition to neglect one's neighbor's appreciation — W.C.Brownell

of a jovial, social disposition, with a host of friends — Allan Westcott

gregarious indicates tending to flock together with others of one's kind and disliking a solitary existence: it may or may not connote enjoyable sociability

renounced a life of solitude, and became a gregarious creature — William Cowper

without intelligence, man is not social, he is only gregarious — Samuel Johnson

as popular with the seeker after solitude as with the noisily gregarious — S.P.B.Mais

the true Nevadan is gregarious, as his passion for clubs and other social circles indicates — American Guide Series: Nevada

cooperative indicates a willingness to work with others for a common end, subordinating immediate personal interests and wishes, and may suggest an attitude conducive to good morale throughout a group

the cooperative efforts of all the allies

while the development of armor called forth the skill of the smith, the multiplication of cannon demanded cooperative manufacture on a much larger scale — Lewis Mumford

the cohesive, cooperative nature of American life as opposed to selfish individualism — Bradford Smith

convivial suggests jovial or merry enjoyment of other's company, particularly in situations in which eating or drinking is involved

all the social and convivial joy and festivity that become youth — Earl of Chesterfield

at the insistence of a convivial uncle and against her better inclination she permits herself to drink three glasses of champagne — Edmund Wilson

companionable suggests a ready affability and warm sympathy that make association easy and pleasant

blessed with a companionable roommate

the trip was the more pleasant because our associates were companionable

hospitable indicates a disposition to greet guests and visitors openly, generously, and warmly

with a few rare exceptions which may arise from sheer lack of time to welcome all newcomers, Arizonans are warmhearted and hospitable — American Guide Series: Arizona

II. noun

( -s )

: sociable 2

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.