Societal Meaning

[səˈsaɪ.ɪ.tɫ̩]
C1

Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

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adjOf or pertaining to society or social groups, or to their activities, customs, etc.

The point of hipster subculture is to avoid conforming to societal norms.
I only went to the party to fulfill my societal obligations.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The increasing gap between rich and poor is a major ____ problem in many countries.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The researcher is studying the major ____ changes that have occurred over the last fifty years.

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 Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālisbor. Old French -albor. ▲ Latin -ālis Old French -elbor. ▲ Latin -ālisbor. Middle English -al English -al English societal From society + -al.

"But his real legacy, which has touched each of us more than we will likely ever know, centers around a rather simple notion of spontaneous order of societal development." — 1992 May 31, David Rehr, “Hayek's Legacy of the Spontaneous Order”, in Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, archived from the original on 20 Oct 2025:
""It would also bring huge societal and economic benefits to all the regions of Britain, not just to London - helping the Government with its 'levelling up' agenda."" — 2023 July 26, Ben Jones, “EU open access growth offers pointers for UK hopefuls”, in RAIL, number 988, page 33:

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CEFR Practice Quiz
The increasing gap between rich and poor is a major ____ problem in many countries.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The researcher is studying the major ____ changes that have occurred over the last fifty years.

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