We the People: Soc

The words on this list all share the root soc, from the Latin socius, meaning "ally, companion."

Work your way through these lists focused on Greek and Latin roots representing people and the social units they form: Gen, Ethn, Dem, Popul, Soc, Civ, Anthrop
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. society
    an extended group having a distinctive cultural organization
    False stories are now spreading 10 times faster than real news and the problem of fake news seriously threatens our society. Salon (Aug 18, 2019)
    socius (companion)
    This word used to refer simply to being with someone: two people could enjoy each other's society, for example. Nowadays, it more commonly refers to larger groups or cultures.
  2. association
    the state of being connected together as in memory
    It recalls the profession’s association with Florence Nightingale, who is credited as the founder of modern nursing. Washington Times (Sep 25, 2015)
  3. social
    marked by friendly companionship with others
    Researchers gathered 235 million tweets sent over six weeks and analyzed the frequency and ratio of words typically associated with certain social and behavioral characteristics. US News (Oct 1, 2015)
  4. socialization
    the adoption of the behavior of the surrounding culture
    The word kindergarten means “children’s garden,” and it was originally conceived of as a time of play, discovery, and socialization. Slate (Oct 1, 2014)
  5. sociable
    inclined to or conducive to companionship with others
    “Alone? My best friends are in the barn cellar. It is a very sociable place. Not at all lonely.” Charlotte's Web
  6. socialite
    one who is well known or prominent in fashionable circles
    Secrets and scandals test the friendship of a wealthy socialite and a working-class woman, upsetting both their families. Los Angeles Times (Jul 26, 2019)
  7. socialist
    a political advocate of state control of industry
    Commander of the Army, General Pinochet, had seized control and immediately ordered his opponents, principally communists and socialists, to be rounded up. The Guardian (Sep 9, 2015)
  8. sociology
    the study and classification of human societies
    To resolve conflicts, Gottman says we can learn from game theory—the study of conflict and decision making used in political science, sociology and economics. Scientific American (Mar 25, 2015)
  9. sociopath
    a person with an antisocial personality disorder
    It is believed that sociopaths make up just 1% of any given population; the rest of us have an enormous potential capacity for empathy. The Guardian (Jul 20, 2014)
    socius + path (suffix meaning "one suffering from")
  10. antisocial
    hostile to or disruptive of normal standards of behavior
    The longer we cling to strong beliefs about the existence of pure evil, the more aggressive and antisocial we become.  Scientific American (Oct 29, 2013)
    The adjective also means "shunning contact with others."
Created on Wed Sep 30 15:43:12 EDT 2015 (updated Mon Aug 26 15:46:55 EDT 2019)

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