Meaning & use
societies
Last updated
“societies” is a form of “society”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nouncountable
Groups of people who live together in an organized community, or the organized way of life they share.
Grammar: Countable: talk about one society or several societies.
Patterns
- a society
- modern societies
- societies around the world
Societies in different parts of the world have very different rules about marriage.
As farming spread, societies became larger and more complex.
She studies how ancient societies traded with their neighbors.
nouncountable
Organizations or clubs formed by people with a shared interest or purpose.
Grammar: Countable and often used in names: the Royal Society, a debating society.
Patterns
- a learned society
- join a society
- student societies
He joined a photography society at his university.
Several medical societies signed the statement.
The school has societies for chess, drama, and debate.
noununcountable
The group of wealthy or respected people in a place, or the social events they attend.
Grammar: Uncountable in this sense; often used before another noun, as in "society wedding".
Patterns
- high society
- society events
- a society column
Her family has been part of high society for generations.
The magazine covers society weddings and charity parties.
He was never comfortable in society circles.
Word forms
| singular | society |
|---|
Common combinations
- modern society
- Modern society depends heavily on digital communication.
- a member of society
- Voting is one way to be an active member of society.
- society at large
- The decision affects society at large, not just one company.
- join a society
- She decided to join a society for young scientists.
- high society
- The ball was attended by everyone in high society.
Synonyms and how they differ
- community
- A community is a group living in the same area or sharing a background; society is broader and includes the whole organized system.
- club
- A club is a small group you join for an activity, while a society can be larger and more formal, often with a scholarly purpose.
- civilization
- Civilization stresses the culture and development of a people over time; society stresses how people are organized now.
Word family
- social adjective
- relating to people living together in groups
- socially adverb
- in a way that relates to society or to meeting people
- societal adjective
- relating to society as a whole, used in formal writing
- sociology noun
- the academic study of societies and social behavior
- sociologist noun
- a person who studies societies
Commonly confused: societies or socials?
societies vs socials
"Socials" are informal gatherings or, in some schools, social events; "societies" are organized groups or whole communities.
Practice
Which sentence uses "societies" correctly?
Choose one answer.
"Modern societies" is plural and agrees with the plural verb "face". Option 0 uses "each" with a plural noun, option 2 uses "a" with a plural noun, and option 3 uses a plural verb with the singular "society".
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “societies”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.