Meaning & use
socialiser
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Meanings
nouncountable
A person who enjoys meeting others and spending time at parties, gatherings or casual get-togethers.
Grammar: Countable: she is a great socialiser; they are both big socialisers.
Patterns
- a socialiser at something
- a natural socialiser
Mia is a born socialiser and knows half the street by name.
My brother is no socialiser; he leaves every party after an hour.
As a keen socialiser, Tom organised the whole office quiz night.
nouncountableformal
Someone or something that helps a person, especially a child or a new arrival, learn how to behave in a group or community.
Grammar: Countable and fairly formal; often found in social science writing.
Patterns
- a socialiser of someone
Schools are important socialisers, teaching children to share and cooperate.
In many cultures, grandparents act as the main socialisers of young children.
Word forms
| plural | socialisers |
|---|
Common combinations
- a natural socialiser
- Ben is a natural socialiser who never sits alone at lunch.
- a heavy socialiser
- After a heavy socialiser's weekend, he needs a quiet Monday.
- a reluctant socialiser
- As a reluctant socialiser, she tends to hide in the kitchen at parties.
- a keen socialiser
- Our neighbour is a keen socialiser and hosts a barbecue every month.
- agents of socialisation
- Family and school are the main agents of socialisation.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mixer
- Mixer is more informal and stresses how easily someone moves between groups, while socialiser stresses enjoyment of company in general.
- party animal
- Party animal is slangier and suggests someone who loves loud, late parties in particular, not just company.
- extrovert
- Extrovert describes a personality type, whereas socialiser describes behaviour, so a shy person can still be a regular socialiser.
Opposites
Word family
- socialise verb
- to spend time with other people in a friendly way
- socialisation noun
- the process of learning the customs of a group
- social adjective
- relating to company or society
- unsociable adjective
- not enjoying the company of others
Commonly confused: socialiser or socialist?
socialiser vs socialist
A socialist supports an economic and political system; a socialiser simply enjoys being with people.
Practice
Dana knows everyone at the gym and always suggests drinks afterwards. She is clearly a keen ____.
Choose one answer.
A socialiser enjoys spending time with people. A socialite is a fashionable person in high society, a sociologist studies society and a socialist holds a political view, so none of them fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “socialiser”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.