Meaning & use
social skill
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
The ability to talk and behave well with other people in everyday situations.
Grammar: Countable: one ability is 'a social skill'; the whole set is 'social skills'.
Patterns
- good social skills
- develop social skills
- social skills training
She has strong social skills, so she makes friends easily.
Playing team sports helps children build social skills.
Interviewers often look for social skills as much as qualifications.
nouncountable
A particular ability, such as listening or sharing, that helps someone get along with others.
Grammar: Often used in the plural when talking about several separate abilities.
Patterns
- a social skill such as something
- learn a social skill
- teach someone social skills
Taking turns is an important social skill for young children.
The course teaches a social skill each week, starting with active listening.
He struggles with one social skill: starting a conversation with strangers.
Word forms
| plural | social skills |
|---|
Common combinations
- good social skills
- Good social skills will help you in almost any job.
- develop social skills
- Children develop social skills by playing together.
- poor social skills
- His poor social skills made meetings awkward.
- social skills training
- The company offers social skills training for new managers.
- lack social skills
- Some talented people simply lack social skills.
Synonyms and how they differ
- people skills
- Informal and common in business; it stresses dealing with people at work rather than in general life.
- interpersonal skills
- More formal and often used in job descriptions; it covers relationships and communication broadly.
- communication skills
- Focuses mainly on speaking and listening, while social skills also cover manners and cooperation.
Word family
Commonly confused: social skill or social life?
social skill vs social life
A social life is the activities you do with friends; social skills are the abilities you use during them.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'social skill' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'A social skill' is a countable noun for one ability, so option A fits. Option B wrongly uses the noun after 'is very'; option C uses it as a verb; option D needs the plural 'skills' with 'are'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “social skill”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.