sociology

[ soh-see-ol-uh-jee, soh-shee- ]

noun

1. the science or study of the origin, development, organization, and functioning of human society; the science of the fundamental laws of social relations, institutions, etc.

sociology

/ ˌsəʊsɪəˈlɒdʒɪkəl; ˌsəʊsɪˈɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. the study of the development, organization, functioning, and classification of human societies

sociology

/ sō′sē-ŏl′ə-jē /

1. The scientific study of human social behavior and its origins, development, organizations, and institutions.

sociology

1. The systematic study of human society, especially present-day societies. Sociologists study the organization, institutions, and development of societies, with a particular interest in identifying causes of the changing relationships among individuals and groups. ( See social science .)

Derived Forms

• ˌsociˈologist, noun
• ˌsocioˈlogically, adverb
• sociological, adjective

Other Words From

• soci·olo·gist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sociology¹

From the French word sociologie, dating back to 1835–45. See socio-, -logy

Example Sentences

“I guess hip-hop has been closer to the pulse of the streets than any music we’ve had in a long time. It’s sociology as well as music, which is in keeping with the tradition of black music in America. If you read the musicology books, you don’t always get the full story.”

From Los Angeles Times

He enrolled at the Open University and obtained a first-class honours degree in sociology, but it was when he stumbled across a painting class organised by charity Care After Combat, that he changed his life's trajectory.

From BBC

It is fueled by a system of mandatory reporting that the work of law and sociology professor Dorothy Roberts and others has shown to harm more children than it helps.

From Salon

While Norwalk looks different than the other communities that have bucked the state on housing, it shares a similar outlook, Manuel Pastor, a sociology professor at USC, argued.

From Los Angeles Times

"There is a legacy of inequality and discrimination that is seared into the Black church and has led to dramatic interpretations for the role of faith in modern society, with an emphasis on social justice, and greater attention to wrongs in society, and greater attention to how we fix these wrongs in society," Jason E. Shelton, professor of sociology and director of the Center for African American Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington, said in an interview.

From Salon

Related Words

• folklore