social structure

American  

[soh-shuhl struhk-cher] / ˈsoʊ ʃəl ˈstrʌk tʃər /

noun

1. Sociology.

   1. the system or complex of beliefs held by members of a social group.

   2. the system of relations between the constituent groups of a society.

   3. the relationship between or the interrelated arrangement of the social institutions of a society or culture, as of mores, marriage customs, or family.

   4. the pattern of relationships, as of status or friendship, existing among the members of a group or society.

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Etymology

Origin of social structure

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

The law stipulates that under the "right to self-identity", settlements are entitled to protect and preserve their "social structure".

From Barron's • Oct. 20, 2025

The show’s thorough, wonderfully readable catalog refers to the power of “funerary magnificence” in the kingdom’s social structure.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 10, 2025

Moving into different groups is key in shaping the animals' social structure.

From BBC • Aug. 5, 2025

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps lost its commander, but the corps itself survives, and it controls much of the country’s economy and social structure.

From Slate • Jun. 17, 2025

So anyone with depth of thought is almost automatically excluded from the main high school social structure.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz

Related Words

• food chain
• hierarchy
• power structure