Okuzeka
Sociology vocabulary · Society and Culture

Society

Meaning in sociology, with examples

/səˈsaɪəti/nounCore term

In sociology, society means: A large group of people who live in a shared territory, interact with one another and share institutions, rules and, to some degree, a common culture.

In Turkish: toplum, cemiyet

How it is used

The basic object of study in sociology. It is uncountable when it means society in general ('the role of religion in society') and countable for a particular one ('modern Western societies', 'agrarian societies').

Example sentences

  1. Durkheim argued that society is more than the sum of the individuals who make it up.

  2. In industrial societies, most people work for wages rather than on the land.

Common collocations

  • modern society
  • civil society
  • industrial society
  • in society
  • member of society
  • cultureThe shared beliefs, values, norms, language, practices and material objects that a group of people learn and pass on from one generation to the next.
  • social structureThe relatively stable pattern of social relationships, institutions and positions in a society, which shapes and limits what individuals can do.
  • social institutionAn established and lasting set of rules, roles and practices that organises an important area of social life, such as family, education, religion, the economy or politics.
  • communityA group of people who share a place, an identity or common interests and feel a sense of belonging and connection to one another.

More terms: Society and Culture

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: