adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:[səˈsaɪ.ɪ.tɫ̩]
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Canada, General-American:[səˈsaɪ.ə.tɫ̩]
Canada, General-American:[səˈsaɪ.ə.ɾɫ̩]
Australian, New-Zealand:[səˈsɑe.ə.tɫ̩]
Australian, New-Zealand:[səˈsɑe.ə.ɾɫ̩]
CMU ARPABET:S AH0 S AY1 IH0 T AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Of or pertaining to society or social groups, or to their activities, customs, etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adjective
Meaning 2
relating to human society and its members
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
social institutions
societal evolution
societal forces
social legislation
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: social
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sekw- Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *sokwéh2 Proto-Indo-European *-ṓy Proto-Indo-European *sokwh2ṓy Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Indo-European *sokwyós Proto-Italic *sokjos Latin sokios Latin socius Proto-Indo-European *-teh2 Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh2ts Proto-Italic *-tāts Latin -tās Latin societāslbor. Old French societé Middle French societébor. English society English -al English societal From society + -al.
Across languages
Translations
20 source translations are retained for this English entry.