social science

American  

noun

1. the study of society and social behavior.

2. a science or field of study, as history, economics, etc., dealing with an aspect of society or forms of social activity.

---

social science British  

noun

1. the study of society and of the relationship of individual members within society, including economics, history, political science, psychology, anthropology, and sociology

2. any of these subjects studied individually

---

social science Scientific  

/ sō′shəl /

1. Any of various disciplines that study human society and social relationships, including sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, political science, and history.

---

social science Cultural  

1. The study of how groups of people behave, often in an effort to predict how they will behave in the future. The social sciences include economics, anthropology, sociology, political science, and aspects of psychology and history.

---

Other Word Forms

• social scientist noun

Etymology

Origin of social science

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

Their method is aimed at improving forecasting across many areas of science, particularly in health research, biology and the social sciences.

From Science Daily

The insurance for social sciences staff had been suspended by the university's insurers as a Chinese firm had brought a defamation suit against Sheffield Hallam after it was named in a report she produced.

From BBC

Progress depends on innovation at the intersection of the hard sciences, social sciences, humanities and arts.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I think this was my first peek into social science,” Strachan said.

From Los Angeles Times

Decades of social science research shows that poverty — especially intergenerational poverty — is driven largely by structural and institutional forces beyond an individual’s control.

From Salon

Related Words

• business
• finance